


Dear West

by neko-nya (neko_fish)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Berlin Wall, Gen, Historical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-15
Updated: 2010-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-22 20:19:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4849157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_fish/pseuds/neko-nya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After their parents left them, Gilbert finds himself in charge of Ludwig and the other children he took in. Determined to send them to safety, he struggles against Russian officers and the strict regime of East Berlin. But everything comes with a price...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_August, 1961,_

Idly leaning against the windowsill in their apartment, red eyes watched from afar as they demolished buildings and cleared the path, and within hours, they began setting up barbwires and fences. And across the newly made barrier was West Berlin. Although he was still young at the time, still an adolescent, he vaguely wondered why they didn't move westward as many of their neighbours did years prior.

 _"Don't worry, Gil!_   _They may have broken this city off into sectors, but a city's still a city. They can't possibly do anything that drastic; it wouldn't be allowed! Besides, I have a job in West Berlin, they can't deny me that,"_ is what Vati had said. But watching the sight unfurl before him now, he wasn't sure about how right his father was anymore. But to be honest, he didn't actually care much for any of it, there was nothing for him on the west side of the borders anyways.

Little bird chirping on his head, he nodded and reached up to stroke its head. "Ja, seems like they're becoming pretty serious about this east-west business. It can't last  _that_  long." Pushing himself back onto his feet, he stretched his neck side to side, listening to it crack and pop. "Well, either way, who cares? If everyone was as awesome as me, they wouldn't be having this problem in the first place, now would they?"

He took his bird's chirp as a sign of agreement and laughed. "Exactly, let's go get you something to eat, you awesome little thing! Kesesesese, who cares about those guys in the west anyways? It's so fun being on my own! ...I wonder when Mutti and Vati will get back..."

\--

_August, 1965,_

Instead of spending all his free time staring at West Berlin through the gap between all the other buildings, he ran into the baby's room to stare at his little brother instead. The baby acknowledged him by returning the stare with his clear blue eyes. Chuckling, he picked the boy up and walked over to the window. "Look, Lui, that side's the west side. See the fences and the construction? We're not allowed over there. If we try, we'll probably get shot, you know? Last time I walked by there, some Russian guy came up to me and told me 'I hope you're not thinking about escaping, да?' it was super creepy since he was smiling and everything. I think he's got something against me..."

Blue eyes watched him intently as he told his story.

"But it's okay, it's not like I was scared or anything since I'm awesome, you know? For future reference, nothing in the world can scare your Bruder! Not even big intimidating, smiling Russians with guns, got it?" He grinned.

Ludwig studied him for another moment before returning the smile.

\--

_September, 1966,_

He awoke to the sound of Ludwig crying. Running into the room to check on the boy, he picked the child up and began looking around all over for signs of his parents. On the kitchen counter, there was a notice.

_Dearest Gilbert & Ludwig,_

_We're sorry, darlings._

_It was our last chance to escape. If we make it to the west, we promise we'll come back for you. There's some money in the top drawer next to the bed. And Gilbert, please take good care of yourself and Ludwig._

_Love,  
Mutti & Vati_

Reading the note over and over again, he took a deep breath and looked down at his brother. "...well Lui, I guess it's just you and me now..."

He never did find out whether their parents made it to the other side of the wall or not...


	2. Chapter 2

_April, 1970_

Stretching, Gilbert couldn't help but yawn as he slung the cloth over his shoulder. After clearing the last table, he got ready to leave. He threw the towel into the sink and washed his hands. Turning off the tap, he grabbed his share of leftovers and headed for the exit. But before he could get out from behind the counters, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Blinking, he turned around to face the person. "Oh hey, Lars, something wrong?"

Lars was another worker at the café he worked at, to put it simply. The tall blond man, originally Dutch, got caught up in the mess after moving to Berlin with his sister. It was a small hidden place where they worked, but the business was usually more than decent. Owned by a mysterious blond man that they rarely saw, all they knew about him was that he had long golden hair, a braid, an indifferent expression on his face at all times, and that he was their employer who let them take leftovers home. But whether the man hired them out of pity or not, it didn't matter to either of them; all that mattered was the money and food they received at the end.

The blond shook his head and handed him something behind the counters, hidden from possible prying eyes. They could never be too safe, one wrong move and they could disappear off the face of the earth for good. "For the kiddies, you know. I already have enough for me and Bella, so you can take it," he muttered quietly with an offhanded shrug before heading back out with a tray in his hand to continue his shift.

He looked down to see leftovers and extra food stuffed surprisingly neatly into a paper bag. Lars knew about the children he took in, all five of the boys. It all started when he decided to bring Ludwig to a park around the neighbourhood only to see two other boys playing there. Finding it strange that they'd be there without supervision, he went up to them and asked,

" _Hey you are you two brothers?"_

_The pair stopped, the blond with blue eyes immediately taking a protective position in front of the other. The boys looked at each other for a moment and shook their heads. But then the one with blue eyes grinned to the other. "Well, we weren't, but since that guy said it, I wanna now, so let's be brothers! Is that okay, Mattie?"_

' _Mattie' blinked and nodded his head with a soft smile. "Okay, Alf."_

_Gilbert, still holding onto Ludwig's hand, pursed his lips. "So...where are your parents?"_

' _Alf' shrugged. "They said they were gonna come back but then that was this morning. Mattie's been here longer."_

_He raised brow. "What happened to_ _**his** _ _parents?"_

_The boys exchanged looks. Holding the boy's hand, 'Mattie' whispered something into the more talkative boy's ear. 'Alf' frowned. "Is it okay?" The other boy nodded timidly. The blond pursed his lips and turned to them. "Alright, if you're sure. Mattie, his parents never came home and the lady next door told him they got arrested so she brought him out here to play. Then, when I found him crying, I tried to help him out but we can't find that lady anymore and he doesn't know how to get home."_

_Gilbert stared at the two wordlessly. Then, there was a tug at his hand causing him to look down. "What is it, Lui?" But the expression on his brother's face told him everything he needed to know. Nodding, the brothers both held a hand out to the boys. "Alright, kiddies, hurry up and follow me, I'll take care of you. You've got to keep quiet though, alright?"_

_The pair exchanged glances before nodding. Quickly taking a hand each, the four made their way back to the apartment._

But that was just the first pair...about a week later, another pair of brunet brothers showed up, then, another blond with thick brows. And now, they were all at home, waiting to be fed.

Humming a light tune to himself, he took the shortcut home. Sometimes, he liked taking a detour and walking on the road right next to the wall just to see the western buildings and the checkpoints where outsiders came and went daily. At those times, he'd wondered just how much better life was on the other side. There wasn't any doubt that it was better than the east, that's all he knew for sure, and with Ludwig and the children nearing the age where they should start their education, he began growing anxious. He'd begun thinking about it for months now, quietly brainstorming different strategies and tactics on how to get them out. And soon, everything, all of the plans he'd thought of would be put to action. If there was one thing he was brilliant at, well that was actually everything since he was just that awesome, but if there was one thing he was  _super_  awesome at, it'd be coming up with brilliant plans.

\--

Reaching his apartment and skipping up all those flights of stairs, he finally made it home. Most of the neighbours had fled one time or another, so he never really had to worry about the noise level. Knocking the secret knock they'd made up, the door opened and he stepped in. Almost immediately, the boys began crowding around him with excited chatters about their activities, food, and everything else imaginable. Laughing, he ruffled his brother's hair. "Good work, Lui. I see you took care of them just fine." As the kids continued tugging at his clothes for attention, he stood up to fend them off for a moment. "Whoa, hold it there! Alright, alright! Let's just relax, we'll all take turns, okay? Everyone gets to tell me one thing at a time, Feli, you can start."

Although he tried to avoid it, he couldn't deny that Feliciano and Matthew were his favourites. Feliciano was not only his favourite, but Ludwig's as well, he was pretty sure his brother actually had a crush on the brunet. "Ve, we painted today! And I helped Ludwig with his bunny!"

"Is that so? That sounds pretty awesome." He grinned at his brother whose face visibly reddened. "Next?"

Matthew perked up and began excitedly, "W-we-"

But before he could get a second word out, Alfred cut him off, "We had pancakes! And potatoes! And Lovino tried to pick on Mattie but I saved him since I'm a hero!"

Gilbert nodded in approval. "Good job, Al."

Lovino immediately protested loudly, "I didn't, you bastard! Don't make stupid stories up, damn it!"

"I'm not lying!"

"Yeah, you so are, stupid jerk!"

"Prove it!"

" _You_ prove it!"

Alfred huffed. "Fine!"

The older brunet frowned. "Go on-chigi! What was that for, jerk!"

"Ha, that means you lied!"

"That doesn't mean anything-chigi! Stop it!"

As the children began bickering, Ludwig immediately took the role of mediator and Matthew the peacekeeper, and the pair began separating the two while Gilbert moved over to the table and set everything down. "So what did  _you_  do today, stupid Gilbo?"

He raised a brow. "What are you talking about, Petey? I'm not stupid, I'm awesome. Did anything else happen today?" He looked over at the violet eyed boy. "Oh yeah, you never finished your story. So what happened today, Mattie?"

"W-we were playing," the quiet blond continued his story from earlier now that Lovino and Alfred had been calmed down, "and a guard walked by but we stayed quiet until he left."

Internally frowning, he let out a sigh a relief that they managed to get by again without getting detected. Ruffling the boy's hair and forced out a laugh. "Excellent, you all did awesome! As expected of my kiddies!" Despite how not all the boys understood the severity of the situation, they knew enough to realize that they'd be taken away if they were ever discovered. "Anything else?"

"Bruder, a bird came in today," his brother informed him as he took the food out of the bag. He'd been in charge of cooking ever since the elder began his job. It wasn't easy feeding so many people but they managed most of the time.

"A bird? Kesesesese, awesome." Quickly running into his room, he untied the letter from the bird's leg and eagerly read it. As of recently, he'd managed to contact a childhood friend through mail once, though with the threat of guards reading it, all he'd written was 'birds would be really awesome'. And luckily, somehow Francis understood and the two began communicating via birds. In most of their letters, they spent them coming up with strategies as to how to get the children out, they were in the final stages and everything was prepared except for the question of who'd go with whom.

Unrolling the letter, he read it over to himself a few times, making sure he read every single word on the little scroll.

" _Gilbert,_

_Here's a list of people willing to work with us and when they'll be crossing the border, just give me the names of which child will go with whom and we'll get started. Here are the pictures of the people working with us, you should know all of them. I found as many diplomats as I could to help us, it'd make everything easier, you know? The first is Berwald, you remember him, non? Tall, Swedish, quiet, scary, a fine behind, and a very cute wife? Anyways, he'll be in East Berlin in June for a conference, I'll give him the details later, but he generally knows what he needs to do._

_I've got all the names and information needed to make the documents to get them across, you have to make sure the children know what to do when the times comes. Also, I'll be staying in the French sector of Berlin to make sure everything goes as planned so I'm ready whenever you are._

_Ah yes, make sure you save the best child pour moi! If I am to be a papa, I want the sweetest, cutest, and most precious one there is! And describe him to me in great detail so I can fall in love with him now!_

_Love,  
Francis"_

_\--_

Looking over the list, he hesitated at the last two names but shook his head and quickly returned to the living room where the kids were playing. He could feel the adrenaline pumping at the thought of putting his plan into action.

June.

There were only two months left before they began, he had to get the kiddies ready by then. Clapping his hands together, he grinned. "Alright, kiddies, since everyone was so awesome today, who feels like becoming even  _more_  awesome like me by learning a new language? I mean, I already know quite a few myself so if you want to try to reach  _my_ level of awesome-ness, this would be a good way to start."

The children immediately gathered around him eagerly and curiously. He looked around, mentally pairing the kids up with the names from the list. First off was the large, quiet and scary Swedish man. Wordlessly, he studied the children, Matthew and Feliciano would be terrified of the man. Lovino would be too, actually. So it was down to Alfred and Peter. Unsure of the man's tolerance and patience, he decided that Peter, the less rebellious of the two would be the safer bet, not to mention he was still the youngest and, as much as he liked the kid, was the most likely to give away their secrets simply because of his age.

From beside Feliciano, Ludwig shot him a questioning look but remained quiet as he continued contemplating, double checking his decision.

Scratching his cheek, Gilbert looked around and wondered how he'd get around to teaching all the kiddies different language. "Alright, since you're all so eager, let's see here...Lui, I've taught you English before so you're going to have to help me teach it to them, okay? You can teach uh...you can teach Al English. Yeah, Al would be good." He'd send the boy to Arthur. The blond didn't have taste buds anyways; after all, he called paste and dirt delicious, not to mention Arthur was surprisingly patient when it came to children. He was sure the two would hit it off. "Okay, I guess I'll teach these guys the other ones. Let's start off with you, Petey, you can be my guinea pig! Be prepared to learn Swedish, or what little Swedish I know anyways-oh wait, I don't know any so I guess you'll just be learning English with Al and Lui. Alright, next, Lovi, let's teach you Spanish! Can you say español?"

The eldest boy crossed his arms. "No, why would I, you bastard?"

He blinked, this wasn't going to work as smoothly as he'd hoped. "Yeah, well, I guess that's a good start. I'm sure you'll pick it up in no time anyways!" It made sense to send the boy off to Spain. Antonio's unwavering cheerfulness would definitely keep him oblivious to the boy's foul language and defiant attitude. He nodded to himself, there was no doubt about it, his immaculate logic was beyond awesome.

Ludwig pursed his lips. "Bruder, what about Feliciano and Matthew?"

Crouching down to their height, he grinned at the remaining two. "Feli, you'll probably be fine with just German. You too Lui. And as for you, Mattie, how would you like to learn French?"

The Frenchman would love the boy; he would absolutely love him to bits and pieces and lavish him with attention and great food and toys as well. After all, he  _did_ say that he wanted the sweetest boy that he could fall in love with in a fatherly way and Matthew fit that description perfectly. The most docile and peace-loving of all the boys, he was one of the boys he wanted least to part with, but Francis would definitely take good care of him with his money and affection--not to mention he couldn't see Matthew turning into a pervert when he grew up. The boy was simply too docile for that.

The blond nodded excitedly. "O-okay!"

Alfred immediately pulled the other boy close in protest. "No, can't Mattie learn English with me?"

"Would you like to learn English as well, Mattie," he asked the boy. And when he received a nod, he shrugged. "That's fine, you can learn both languages if you'd like, you can be awesome like that. Then who knows, you can probably move to that place...Canada? Yeah, Canada, they speak both English and French there, interesting, isn't it? Not to mention they have the awesome-est maple syrup there. You know the stuff Lui pours on the pancakes? Ja, that's maple syrup."

Matthew shot him an excited look, his love for the golden syrup clear as day. "Maple syrup comes from Canada?"

Gilbert laughed. "Ja, Canada, remember that name, you can go and be awesome there someday! Then you can tell me all about it." Getting up, he returned to his room. "Perfect, we'll get started in a minute. I'll be right back kiddies."

\--

Once in his room, he sat down at his desk and began writing back.

" _Fran,_

_Okay, I've figured it out. Here's the list. By the way, I'm assigning Mattie to you. You wanted a description? Well he's a good kid, kind of shy, has good taste in food and by that, I mean he likes maple syrup. He likes hugs, doesn't like fights, and he's pretty awesome for a kid. He's pretty excited about learning French too, so that's probably a good sign for you. But one thing, he's got an unrelated brother, Alfred, so you're going to have to set up play dates since those two are practically inseparable which also means you're going to have to face Brows. Anyways, here's the list:_

_Mr. Big and Tall: Peter_

_Brows: Alfred_

_Tonio: Lovino_

_You: Matthew_

_The Stupid Ar..."_

He paused in his writing at the last two names again. Lightly slapping himself, he shook his head. "Snap out of it, Gilbert! This isn't that big of a deal!" Quickly scribbling the last bit down, he rolled up the letter and tied it back to the bird's leg and let it fly away. After it disappeared into the distance, he sighed and returned to the living room.

Now all he could do was wait.


	3. Chapter 3

_June, 1970_

He wrung his hands anxiously as he sat there.

After further correspondence with Francis, they had worked everything down to the second and every last documentation had been made; passports, birth certificates, pictures of extended family members, everything. He glanced at the watch on his wrist again; it was quarter to four, time to start. Heading for the door, he called out to his brother, "Lui, keep an eye on the kiddies, alright? I'll be back later! Petey, let's get going."

The boy quickly got up and put his hat on. "Alright, alright, I'm coming, stupid Gilbo!"

Gilbert raised a brow. "Are you learning new words from Lovi? Well, whatever." He leaned down and helped straighten the hat on the boy's head. "Alright, let's scoot."

He'd only told Ludwig and Peter about the plan, not wanting to risk the information leaking. He figured it'd be safer to tell the boys when it was their turn to go though he wouldn't be surprised if Peter had already told the others about it. He'd shown the boy a picture of his future parents and had gone over the game plan over and over again to make sure nothing would go amiss. Peter grinned and waved to the rest of the boys who were standing by the door, watching. "I'll see you jerks later!"

Leading the boy down the hall, he scratched his head. "Seriously, did you pick up Lovi's habits? Hn, I wonder where  _he_ picked it up from. Anyway, you remember how to play this game, right, Petey?"

A game, that's what he called the whole thing. He'd explained the objectives and the rules to the boy like a game. And knowing that Peter's competitiveness, he figured that the boy would go through with the plan flawlessly.

"Of course I know, stupid Gilbo." The other boy stuck his tongue out and ran ahead. "You've gone over the rules way too many times for me to  _not_  remember! Like I'd lose to  _you_  at some stupid game!"

"Alright, off you go then." Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his pounding heart as he watched the boy run down the street.

\--

It was four thirty-two.

Red eyes watched from afar as the boy played at the park.

The plan was simple, traveling from west to east was the easy part, none of the guards took their job too seriously when it came to searching cars and whatnot, especially when diplomats were involved. So all they had to do was make a decoy child, put him in the back, get into the east, swap the decoy with the kid, send the kid off with his new parents and all the documents needed to get back to the west, and voila, if all went well, the kid would be on the other side within an hour or two. It was a simple yet safe plan, just the way he wanted it.

Glancing at his watch again, he pursed his lips. The Swede should've arrived already. Patrol was probably on its way and close calls weren't part of the plan. Suddenly, two men showed up, a large one with a blue trench coat and a shorter one with a white beret, just as they'd planned. The taller man looked around to make sure there weren't any guards around before holding his hand out and calling to the boy, "Pet'r let's go."

The blond perked up and excitedly ran over to the Swedish man. "Papa." He then looked at the other man and grinned happily. "Mama!"

His lips twitched as he forced his urge to laugh down.

The Finnish man's eyes widened as he stuttered, "M-mama?"

"You're m'wife," the taller man told him, completely serious.

Gilbert felt a little bad for Tino, he couldn't tell if he actually liked Berwald or if everything was just self-proclaimed by the Swedish man. Either way, he watched as Peter walked off with the two, each holding one of the boy's hands. After they disappeared, he got up and took a detour around an alleyway to grab the decoy they'd used; the one Berwald had 'sweded'. He'd have to burn it all later, plastic bag and all. On the way back to the apartment, he sat against a tree, out of view, and watched 'Checkpoint Charlie' while eating the sandwich Ludwig had packed for him. If any of the soldiers were to see him, he'd definitely get hustled back home or arrested for suspicious behaviour.

He watched as the Swede's car pulled up and the guards checked their documents. It was four forty-eight which was when the more approachable guards were on duty. Rhey were on four times a week and eight hour shifts at a time with a short break every two hours. The only guards he really had to look out for were Ivan's lackeys, Edvuard and Ratvis; they were more afraid of the Russian man than anyone else and were more likely to report anything suspicious back to his archenemy than anyone else.

Ivan was the large Russian man in charge of all the guards, the same man who'd threatened him five years ago. The only thing the two of them knew were each others' names and how much they hated one another. Though he'd never been caught doing anything, he knew Ivan suspected something and was out to get him. It sent chills down his spine whenever he thought of the man who never stopped smiling, even when he talked about his family.

" _Oh, you have siblings?"_

" _Da, two sisters, an older and a younger."_

_He raised a brow, suddenly the man seemed a little more human. "Really? Who would've thought? So are they in the USSR right now?"_

" _Da, they'll be there forever."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _They died near the end of the war." He was still smiling. "It's strange to think about it now. We were so young and my sister tried so hard to keep us alive but in the end, they both died." Still smiling he turned to ask him, "So, Gilbert, do_ _ **you**_ _have any siblings?"_

Releasing the breath he'd been holding, he watched as the car drove through and disappeared for the west.

One down, five to go.

\--

Returning to the apartment, in the back, he stuffed everything into a garbage bin, doused it with gasoline and lit it. The fire would probably attract street roamers, making its original purpose less obvious. Running through the back door and into the building before people noticed, he made his way up to the apartment where the remaining kiddies were waiting for him.

He was greeted at the door by Ludwig who shot him a questioning look. He merely grinned and gave the blond a happy thumbs up. "Job well done as always."

The younger boy let out a sigh of relief. "Alfred and Feliciano got hungry so I started on dinner. It's almost ready," he told him as he went back towards the kitchen.

"Sounds awesome, thanks Lui," he called out as he returned to his room to write a letter of confirmation to Francis along with their next plan of action. Looking at the schedule, he only had three weeks to prepare for the next one. Running back out into the living room, he sat down in front of Alfred and Matthew with a grin. "Hey kiddies, so how's your English coming along?"

Alfred watched him seriously before yelling in the said language, " _Awesome_! Hey, I'm hungry, Gilbo! Right, Mattie?"

"Y-yes."

Letting out a laugh, he tousled the boy's hair. "I see it's coming along just fine. Dinner's almost ready."

\--

_August ,1970,_

The two of them were sitting in the car after sneaking the child in. It'd all worked out smoothly thus far, the car slowly drove by an alleyway and the boy hopped on and was swapped for the decoy without anyone even blinking an eye at them. Whipping out a handkerchief, he couldn't help but wipe his forehead in relief. Suddenly, the boy turned to him with a wide grin on his lips. "Hey Artie! Awesome t'meet ya!"

Unfortunately, due to excessive time spent with Gilbert, Alfred had come to understand that any synonym of 'good' and 'nice' meant that it was 'awesome', and so, used 'awesome' instead.

The Englishman blinked and raised a brow at the blond. "Shouldn't it be 'daddy' or 'papa', lad?"

It was Alfred's turn to raise a brow, but he shrugged it off and bounced around energetically on his seat. "Hey Artie, I'm hungry!"

Arthur nodded. "That's fine, lad, let's go home for supper then."

"That sounds awesome! What's for dinner?"

"How about scones? How does that sound?"

The boy nodded in approval. "That sounds yummy!"

Green eyes widened. "R-really?"

"Yeah!"

The man shot the boy a happy look. "Right, let's go then, Alfred!"

"Yeah!"

\--

He rolled up his newspaper and got up; first part complete. Silently, he praised himself for setting up the kids up with such excellent matches. Had it been any of the other boys, they probably wouldn't have gone off with a stranger offering them scones. Though Alfred had been unwilling to part with Matthew at first, after many promises of future reunions, the boy finally agreed to go along with the plan.

Gilbert got ready to head towards the back alley to get and dispose of the decoy when an overly friendly voice called out to him, "Well, if it isn't Gilbert. What might you be doing out here on such a fine day?"

Turning around, he forced a smile onto his lips. "Guten Tag, Ivan, why  _wouldn't_ I be out here on, as you said, such a fine day?"

"Well, I certainly hope you're not out here to cause any trouble," the Russian man said with a singsong tone and a cheery smile on his face. "We certainly wouldn't want any trouble happening, now, would we?"

He let out a mock gasp and shook his head. "Oh no, Ivan, we most certainly wouldn't want  _that_. As you can see, I merely decided to read my newspaper at that nice little café over there. Is that such a crime?"

"No, I suppose it's not."

Nodding, he turned away with a theatrical bow. "Good, since I'm not being charged with anything, I'll just be on my way home now, thanks."

"Alright, goodbye Gilbert. Have a nice day."

With cold calculating eyes watching him, he couldn't risk taking the detour home. He continued walking towards his building until he was sure that he was out of sight, only then did he turn around to see if anyone had followed him. Turning into an alley, he made his way back to pick up the bag.

Then, going through the same routine again, he was finally able to head back up to his apartment which had grown a little quieter now that it was missing two of the loudest boys. Greeted by his brother, he gave a loud sigh and dragged his feet inside.

After closing the door behind him, Ludwig tapped him on the back and gestured to Matthew who was sitting by himself, looking a little down. At that moment, he felt absolutely horrible for splitting the boys up, but there was no other way around it. The small blond looked over at him as he approached. "Is Alf coming back? He said he wasn't going to..."

Running a hand through his hair, he sat down cross-legged beside the boy. "Sorry, Mattie, he's not coming back-but it'll be alright since you'll get to see him again! I promise! Al won't be coming back  _here_  but you'll get to go see him elsewhere, so cheer up, okay?"

A sad nod. "Okay..."

The boy looked unconvinced so he tilted the boy's chin up and grinned. "D'accord?"

Matthew nodded again, giggling shyly this time. "Oui, d'accord."

"That's the awesome Mattie I know!" Ruffling the boy's hair, he got up and returned to his room to collect himself after that little encounter.

Only four left, he told himself though it didn't help calm his pounding heart in the least. Only four left...

\--

_January, 1971_

After Antonio carried Lovino off and skipped through the border with a happy 'fusososososo' months earlier, soldiers began patrolling the area more often. It'd gone well with Lovino too busy munching on a tomato to make any remarks about the Spaniard's story, they'd managed to get through the border without any major issues. And in addition, as a sign of gratitude, Antonio had left him a huge bag full of large, red tomatoes in the alley that lasted them over a month.

But because of the tighter control the soldiers were exerting, they had to change the next rendezvous point to the back room of the place he worked at. And although Lars was on shift and wouldn't tell a soul, it became even more difficult since the soldiers began keeping better track of the foreign diplomats and where they went to minimize the chances of their involvement with citizens and their plotting. But luckily, the next person on the list was Francis who was a self-proclaimed master of disguise. Although he personally couldn't imagine the Frenchman in anything but the newest clothes and the most charmingly French personality, he also knew that the man, despite their occasional disagreements, knew how to prioritize. And getting a child, his future child to add to it, to safety was definitely above looking good for half a day.

Beside him, Matthew was clinging onto his jacket, a little from the cold and a little from anxiety. Violet eyes looked at him nervously, his already quiet voice further hushed, "I-is papa going to come?"

Gilbert nodded and whispered back, "Of course he is, the only question is will we be able to recognize him."

"Of course you won't, I hardly recognized myself in the mirror just now," a voice came from beside them.

Giving a start, the two turned to see a brunet standing there, wearing a worn out suit and a lazy grin on his face. "Whoa, when did you get in? How'd you get past Lars?" But upon closer inspection, he could see mischievous blue eyes twinkling back. "Fran...?" he asked warily.

"Bonjour, mon ami, it's been awhile." The man winked. Then he looked down at the boy and his smile widened. "And you must be Mathieu, bonjour."

Wide eyed, the boy stared at the stranger. "B-bonjour..." he replied politely even as he shot Gilbert a questioning look.

He shrugged. Then, feeling a hand on his behind, he swatted the Frenchman's hand away and sighed in exasperation. "There's no doubt about it, this is your papa, Mattie."

Francis studied the boy for a moment before pulling out a gift he'd brought over. "You're even more adorable than I'd imagined! I spent all of last week looking for something nice for you, just wait till we get back home. I bought you new clothes and you'll have your own room and everything. And while I was leaving the toy store yesterday, I came across this." He whipped out a large white teddy bear. "Here you are, mon cher, my first gift to you."

The blond gave an excited smile and hugged the bear tightly, rubbing his cheek against its soft fur. "M-merci beaucoup, papa!"

"O dieu, Gilbert, he's absolutely adorable! I don't think I've ever fallen in love with anyone this quickly before," he spoke elatedly and gave the boy a quick kiss on the head. "Come along now, Mathieu, I have a change of clothes for you back in my car. You must be freezing with such a thin jacket." Glancing at his watch, he whispered, "I've only got twenty minutes left of my break so I really must get going. Being a diplomat such a tiring job. Oh yes, and Gilbert, outside, there's a box full of surprises waiting for you. And in regards to the last discussion we had, I propose we only have one Pierre going in case anything were to happen. We should avoid risking anything or anyone at all costs, oui?"

He nodded seriously. "Got it. You know you'll have to go through the lackeys with the time you have set up to cross the border, right? Make sure you don't screw up."

The Frenchman raised a brow at him. "Of course I won't, I'd sooner die!"

Gilbert didn't question that statement. "Well, I guess I'll see you later, Mattie. Be good and listen to what Fran says…I guess. You'll get to see Al again in a little bit, okay?"

The boy stared at him with incredulous violet eyes. "R-really? Alf?"

Francis smiled and soothed the child's hair. "That's right, I've already set up a play date with your brother and…Arthur." He shot a half hearted glare at the German who shrugged in return. "You'll get to see your Alf very soon. But for now, say bye bye to Gilbert."

Matthew gave a small nod and kissed him on the cheek one last time. "Bye bye, Gilbert. See you soon?"

His heart twinged at that. "Ja, I'll see you later, kid."

The men exchanged understanding looks and shook hands. "Good luck, I'll be waiting to hear from you."

"You take care of that kid, alright? I'll see you later."

Waving goodbye to both his friend and the boy, he watched as the Frenchman led the boy out the door. Sitting there for a moment longer, he sighed and got up when the door opened. The blond looked around and raised a brow. "You alright?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. Aren't you on right now?"

Lars returned the shrug. "Five minute break, it's not that busy anyways. So you alright?" he asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine, more than fine, I'm awesome." He grinned weakly. "Just hoping it'll all works out--hoping it all worked out. I haven't heard from the other kiddies yet and Fran didn't mention them. So yeah, it's nothing, I watched them all get through so I know they're fine and Fran will take care of Mattie. Those monster guards won't know what hit them."

"Well, at least you're almost done now. How many are there left? Two? Three?"

"Yeah, the last two are from the west, it took them awhile to get visas to get here but they'll be here in a few months. So in a couple months or so, they'll all have gone over to the west."

He couldn't hold back a sigh.

The taller man raised a brow and studied him for a moment. "What's with you? Oh, I get it...hey, Gil."

"What?"

"You're doing the right thing."

He pursed his lips, "Yeah, I know I am, I'm awesome like that."

"You know, in some ways, I'm in the same boat as you but whatever. You're a good guy." Lars had never been one for comforting and cheering up. Sheepishly, he shrugged again. "Oh well, I guess this means I don't have to give you extra leftovers anymore. Anyway, my break's up, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right, I'll see you later..." Walking out the back door, he picked up the bag and weaved his way around the alleys back to the apartment.

\--

Standing in his living room with a large box in hand, he looked around at the emptiness of the place. It felt surreal, knowing that at one point, Matthew was trying to hold Alfred back after Peter accidentally knocked over the boy's juice. Ludwig and Feliciano watched him silently from the doorway as he set down the bag and took the box out and opened it.

Inside were bills from Francis to help him out financially. Stuffing the bills into his pocket, he looked at what laid under. There were other pieces of paper, all folded up. Taking them out one by one, he opened them up only to see large, colourful, childish writing scribbled all over them, and though they all used the codenames he and Francis had thought up, it didn't dampen how precious they were in the least.

" _Stupid East,_

_Papa is awesome! He Swedes things for me! He sweded me a danbolis the other day! And mama's awesome as well! Our dog's awesome too! And our neighbours are awesome too! One guy has a really big axe! Papa says he's not allowed in the house with it! And the other sees fairies! And the other one doesn't understand anything! Aren't they awesome?_

_Sealand"_

" _East,_

_Scones are yummy! Guess what? I got America because I'm an awesome hero who's super powerful and stuff! Oh, and England says I'm not allowed to use 'awesome' to describe things anymore. And I'm not allowed to use 'gonna' or 'wanna' anymore either. But the scones England makes are yummy! When's my awesome brother coming? He needs me to protect him! I'm his hero you know! And it's 'cause I'm awesome!_

_America"_

" _You bastard,_

 _Stupid jerk Spain's making me write you this stupid thank you note._  
Tomatoes are good. Pasta is good.  
I like tomatoes, damn it.

_Romano"_

" _Dear East,_

_Romano's so cute! He's so, so, so, so, so very cute! You should see him when he eats tomatoes! It's so adorable! He's not good for cleaning or chores or anything like that but he's co cute at times! I feel like such a proud boss sometimes!_

_Spain"_

Grinning to himself, he brought everything into his room and began pinning them on his wall one by one. Once he finished that, he went back outside and pulled the remaining two into a loose hug. "Alright, now that it's just the three of us, let's have an extra big dinner tonight to celebrate our success!"

"Ve, can we have pasta?" Feliciano asked with an eager smile.

Gilbert nodded. "Of course, we'll have pasta, potatoes and wurst tonight! Let's head to the kitchen and get started! And then afterwards, I'll tell you guys a story, okay? This time, it'll be about uh...a magical land with talking trees and rabbits in suits!"

The boys let out cheers and ran into the kitchen.

Slowly, he followed.

Only two left...


	4. Chapter 4

_May, 1971_

He licked his lips nervously as he sat in the back room of his workplace yet again with Feliciano next to him. The pair peeked out to see Lars walking back with a slight shake of his head. Somehow, the Dutchman had gotten involved in his plans, and though he was only the watchman, they both knew what kind of risk he was putting himself in by affiliating with them.

After what seemed like hours, the waiter finally returned and stretched, cracking his neck as he did so.

That was the sign.

"Alright, Feli, it's your turn. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

The brunet nodded hesitantly. "Okay, Gilbert. Bye bye. Will you please say bye to Ludwig for me?"

"Will do, and don't worry, it'll only be for a couple months." He gave the boy a light shove. "Make sure you follow Lars closely, alright? He'll help you out."

Another nod.

"Okay, go, go, go," he whispered and pushed the child towards the tall blond.

Lars glanced down at the shaking child before slowly leading him towards the bathroom, out of sight from the other customers. Once inside, he pointed to a brunet man by the sink with glasses on his face and a mole under his mouth. Then, without a word, he turned and went back out.

Hesitantly, Feliciano walked towards the stranger and tugged on his jacket. "E-excuse me."

The brunet turned around and blinked. "Yes?"

"Can we have pasta for dinner tonight?" he asked quietly.

The man adjusted his glasses. "Of course not, you idiot," he spoke sternly and took the pouting boy by the hand and returned outside.

"Ve..." Feliciano said dejectedly.

"…but I suppose you can have it for lunch now," the man muttered softly after awhile and went to order a plate for the child.

* * *

Waiting for results, he perked up when Lars re-entered the room. "How'd it go?"

"He's sitting with the guy, eating pasta and looking happy. I never knew you knew such aristocratic people, Gil. Real classy."

Gilbert shrugged. "He was less lame when we were younger. He actually knew how to fight back then, sort of anyways-not that he ever managed to beat me. The stupid aristocrat better take care of that kid."

Digging around his apron pouch, the waiter pulled out a couple bills and a note that'd been slipped in between. He handed it over with a subtle smirk. "It's from him. He really knows how to hide notes, I barely noticed it. Did you two use to pass notes around in class when you were little girls?"

He raised a brow and took the note. "No way, I don't know about you, hell, you probably exchanged tulips and kisses back during your schooling days, but talking with fists was and always will be the way to go for me."

Lars shrugged. "If you say so. By the way, you can't use this place for your little operations anymore. Boss said we're getting spies and guards and whatnot coming in more often, he doesn't want this place torn, closed or burned down, you know."

Swearing under his breath, he frowned. "Did he know about all this?"

"I don't know but he came in after you left yesterday and told me to keep an eye on things, said it was strange for guards to come so frequently."

"Couldn't it just be because we have good food for a reasonable price?"

The blond raised a brow. "Really, Gil? Think about what you just said."

"What? The food here isn't  _that_  bad!  _I_  like it! And the price isn't too bad…"

"Not that you'd know since all you order are leftovers. Whatever, I should probably head back out," the other man muttered. "By the way, I told Bella to go find you in the case of an emergency. If anything ever happens, make sure you help her out, alright?"

Gilbert nodded. "That sounds fine to me, as long as she doesn't bring Russian soldiers with her."

"I'll tell her to keep that in mind."

Once his friend left, he got up and left for his lookout point. On the way, he took out the note and unfolded it.

_East,_

_Make sure you take care of yourself, you idiot._

_Austria_

"Way to nag me, I'm not a kid anymore and even then, who does he think he is…stupid aristocrat," he muttered half-heartedly and refolded the note before stuffing it into his pocket.

He'd pin it up after he got home.

\--

Hours later, when he returned to his apartment, he found Ludwig standing at the door, waiting for him and looking rather lonely. He gave a weak smile. "Well, Lui, I guess it's just the two of us again. Did anything happen while I was out?"

A nod. "Soldiers walked by again."

Gilbert could tell that the boy had been shaken up, not used to dealing with such situations by himself. He knelt down to the boy's level and soothed his hair back. "Were you worried, Lui? Don't worry, they'll never get me. I promised that I'd always be there for you, remember? I won't let them get you either! They'll have to get through me first, and that's pretty much impossible, you know? Now, was there anything else today?"

"No but did Feliciano make it, Bruder?" the younger boy asked anxiously.

"Of course he did, this is my awesome plan we're talking about! There's no way it could go wrong! Feli's probably over the wall with Rodney right now, eating some ridiculous gourmet meal or something. You should know your Bruder better than that by now, my plans never fail," he claimed haughtily.

He was about to head back to his room when the blond called out to him, "Bruder."

"Ja?"

"Will…will we be going to the west as well?"

Blinking, he tilted his head in question. "Of course, why would you think otherwise?"

Ludwig pursed his lips. "Will we be going together?"

He paused for a moment before nodding. "Ja Lui, we'll stick together. I'll figure something out, I promise."

\--

_March 1950_

_He stared anxiously as his tapping foot, mentally willing it to stop. He didn't like it, being nervous that is. It just wasn't like him. But then again, he'd never gone through what he was about to go through before so it was explainable. So he stood there, waiting for his best friend for life, the girl who thought she was a boy, the girl who_ _**he** _ _thought was a boy, the only girl who could match him in fights, Elizabeta._

_They'd grown up together doing things all boys did; climbing, fighting, racing…anything he did, Elizabeta would do as well. But then it all changed when she turned into a girl. It seemed so sudden, one day she was fist fighting with other boys, the next, she had chest pains and then_ _**bam** _ _, she grew boobs._

_Then it all changed._

_She didn't do everything he did anymore. She'd only give in occasionally when they were alone. She wouldn't accept his makeshift 'bandages' anymore. She suddenly developed manners and wore a dress. It was strange. But what was stranger was that he couldn't freely approach her anymore. She wasn't the boy he was best friends with anymore, she was now a_ _**girl** _ _he was best friends with._

_He stared at the mirror, wondering if he'd be able to go through with it. "Er'za, do you want to go out some time? Elizabeta, will you go out with me? Er'za? Elizabeta?"_

" _Gil!"_

_Giving a start, he turned around and let out a bark, "Er'za, don't sneak up on me like that!"_

_The brunette rolled her eyes. "Sorry, I forgot that you're more of a girl than me."_

" _Say what you want, you know I'm way awesome-r than you any day! And you know that deep down inside, you've got an un-proportional guy-ness to girly-ness ratio." He smirked._

_The girl shrugged in return. "That's fine with me. We complement each other then, since you're such a girl."_

" _Hey!"_

" _You wanted to ask me something? I have something I want to tell you too." She smiled excitedly._

_He felt his heart beat a little faster at that. "What is it?"_

" _Oh no, ladies first."_

" _Funny." He gave a mock laugh. "No, seriously, what is it?"_

_Elizabeta's smile remained. "Fine, since the lady insists. Roderich just asked me out! And I said yes!"_

_He could feel his jaw going slack and his head breaking a little, but it wasn't like he could cry since boys didn't cry. So he covered it up smoothly with an incredulous, "Y-you got yourself a girlfriend!"_

" _Shut up!_ _Roderich isn't a girl!"_

_\--_

_August, 1971_

The pair of the paced around in their apartment restlessly. Because they couldn't meet at the restaurant or the park anymore, and there'd been more patrols out ever since another tunnel had been found a few days earlier, there was only one place left to put the plan in action.

There was a knock on the door.

"Stay here," he told his brother and walked over to the open the door just a crack. Upon seeing a familiar brunette standing there, he let go of the breath he'd been holding and opened it. "Good, it's just you…hurry up and get in here."

The woman frowned. "That's the first hello I get from you after all these years? I thought you said we were best bros for life."

Gilbert raised a brow. "Yeah, that was when you were still a bro. You're a she-bro now, it's not quite the same. Anyways, Lui, come over here and meet Elizabeta."

Emerging from his room, the blond silently made his way over. "Hello, I'm Ludwig…"

Elizabeta smiled. "Hello Ludwig, you're nothing like your brother, I'm glad."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it means."

"Whatever." He looked down at his watch. "You're early, we can't leave for another ten."

The woman shrugged. "That's fine, I guess we can catch up in ten minutes then. So how've you been, Gilbert?"

Long overdue conversations weren't part of the plan, but not wanting the atmosphere to get awkward, he returned the shrug. "I've been fine and very awesome as you can see."

Elizabeta leaned in to study him a little closer. "I don't know about that, your cabinets look a little empty and you look a little scrawny…"

"I'm not scrawny! Just because  _you've_  put on some weight and I look lean in comparison, that doesn't make me 'scrawny'!"

"Hey," she frowned and punched him in the arm, "it's a universal rule that you're not allowed to call girls fat!"

"Girl? What girl? Aside from that punch, there's still nothing feminine about you!"

She let out a huff and crossed her arms. "Seriously, Gil, you haven't changed in the least."

He raised a brow. "You mean the fact that I'm still awesome? Yeah, I know. So what's up with you? Still dating the stupid aristocratic chick?"

There was a pause.

Adjusting the flower behind her ear, she glanced around, looking for the right words. Looking at the flower, he could still remember how it all started.

\--

_April, 1945_

" _Hey Er'za, what's up?"_

_The girl was sitting in her lawn with sulky look on her face. "No one believes I'm a girl."_

_He rolled his eyes. "of course they don't. I wouldn't have either, I mean, you still look the same as before…you know, when you were still a guy. Here," he picked a flower from a nearby bush and stuck it behind her ear, "at least you look kind of like a girl now."_

_Green eyes widened as she adjusted the flower slightly. "R-really? How does it look? Does it suit me?"_

_Suddenly, he realized what he'd done and could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. "W-w-why are you suddenly acting all girly? It's so weird! Stop it!"_

_She stood up with her hands on her hips, a blush sprouting on her face as well. "W-what are you talking about! I just asked if it suited me or not! Stop making things weird!"_

_There was a pause between the two before they ended up in another fist fight._

_\--_

_August, 1971_

"How do I say this," she drawled out hesitantly. "No?"

His brows furled in confusion. "So no, you're not dating Rodney anymore but…?"

She pursed her lips. "We're not dating anymore…Gilbert, we're married now."

Red eyes widened. "W-what? Married? Seriously? When?"

The woman held her hands up to calm him down while quickly explaining, "It was last year and we had no way of contacting you, Gil. I'm really sorry! I actually sort of wanted you to be my maid of honour."

"Best man," he corrected her. "So you and Rodney got married…did he make a beautiful bride like I imagine he did? Does he stay around the house all day? Does he do all the chores? Does he cook and do the dishes? Do you have kids? Did he get insane cravings? I bet he did. Does he take good care of the children? I bet he does."

Giving him another playful punch on the arm, she laughed. "Gil! Can't you be serious for a minute?"

He shook his head. "No way, the mental picture's too weird. How am I supposed to take it seriously? You're married now, Er'za…"

"Yeah, I am…isn't it strange?"

"Things have really changed while I've been here, hmm?"

Elizabeta's eyes softened. "That's not completely true. I mean, some things are still the same. Francis and Arthur are still at each other's necks, though you did cause some major changes with them. I never thought I'd see the day those two became responsible fathers. I mean, Arthur's making his kid scones and the kid actually likes it. And Francis behaves himself more when his kid's around, you should see them, they won't let go of each other's hands and that little boy's always carrying that bear around, it's so cute. And Feliciano, he's an absolute darling, you should see how he helps out with the household chores. He talks about you and Ludwig all the time, he makes you sound like quite the hero."

He shrugged. "What can I say? Kids know awesome guys when they see them. And I'll get to see all these things soon enough."

She nodded in agreement. "That's right, you'll be over there with us real soon."

"I still can't believe you're married," he muttered before looking at his watch again. "Well, it's time to go. Come on Lui. Did you drive, Er'za?"

"No, Roderich's chauffeur did."

"I see…anyways, let's go." Taking his brother by the hand, he led the two out. "Lui, you know what to do once you get to the checkpoint, right?"

The boy nodded.

"And we have all the things we need?"

"I think so, Bruder, here." The blond passed all the documents over to him.

Flipping through everything to double check, he dipped his head in approval. "Great job, Lui, let's hurry up and get this over with."

\--

Once in the car, the drive to the crossing point was filled with heavy silence. When they arrived, they joined the line up of departing cars and more tension as added to the atmosphere. It took about half an hour before it was finally almost their turn. But just as they began driving up to the toll, he glanced back and noticed a large figure walking towards the booth. He could feel his mouth go dry as he looked from the pair beside him to the approaching Russian.

If Ivan were to see him or Ludwig, it'd be over for everyone in the car. Though he wasn't sure whether or not the Russian had seen his brother before, he couldn't risk it. Quickly, he shook the driver's shoulder lightly. "Hey you, Rodney's driver, hold up for a minute."

Elizabeta looked over at him in surprise. "Gilbert, what are you doing?"

Leaning over, he told the woman quietly, "Er'za, you remember back then? I never answered you, did I? …I always thought that that flower suited you very well and congratulations on your marriage to Roderich. I still think he's a girl though." Then he turned to his brother. "Lui, go through as planned, alright?"

Ludwig blinked and sat up in alarm. "Bruder, where are you going? I'm coming with you!"

He shook his head and a ran a hand through the boy's golden hair which had been choppily cut up by him. "Nein, Lui, there are some things in life you have to do as a man, and right now you have to take care of Er'za, alright? She may be manly, but she's still a girl…and take care of Rodney and Feli as well, you're the man in charge now, okay?"

The boy was clutching onto his jacket and shaking his head. "But Bruder, I want to go with you."

"Remember what we were talking about? This is just one of those flaws that happens, so don't worry, you know exactly what I'll do, right? Be good, Lui," he muttered quietly and placed a kiss on the boy's head before pulling his jacket away and stepping out of the car. He began walking up to the Russian as the car continued driving. "Whoa, Ivan? What a surprise!"

\--

In the car, grabbing the documentations the other had left behind, Elizabeta wrapped an arm tightly around the boy as they made it to the booth. It took all her willpower to not turn around to see what was happening with her childhood friend. She held her tears back as green eyes looked forward. "It's alright Ludwig. Don't look back or we'll ruin his plan. He planned all this out, he knows exactly what he's doing."

Silently, she wondered whether she was trying to convince the child in her arms or herself.

\--

"Gilbert? How unexpected…and what were you doing in that car?"

"Saying goodbye to an ex-girlfriend, you know how it is." He shrugged. His mind was racing, trying to come up with a plausible story to tell. He hadn't completely accounted for this scenario; failures hadn't been part of the plan. "You know, they get super clingy when their marriages don't work out the way they'd plan."

The guard tilted his head slightly. "Do they now?"

Watching the car out of his peripheral, he wished it'd get through a little faster to save him the agony of conversing with the Russian. "Yeah, but then again, I've never really been able say no to her. She was my first love after all, but now she's kind of like a sister to me, I guess, coming to me for relationship advice and whatnot. She waited for months for that visa just to get my opinion on the guy she's married to right now." He sighed and shook his head dramatically. "Women…she even has kids now."

Ivan had his usual smile on his face. "Is that all? You're unusually chatty today. I hope saying goodbye was all you were doing."

"I can't help it, have to vent to someone, you know? And you just so happened to be the first person I saw…and if you must know, in addition to saying goodbye, I managed to get a kiss too since I'm awesome like that," he ranted mindlessly until he saw that the car began moving through. "Well, now that I've vented, I guess I'll let you get back to your job before you get fired."

"Gilbert," the man called out, his tone suddenly turned serious.

"Ja?" He turned and asked innocently.

It startled him to see that the man's eyes were watching him intently, a dark smile on his face. "It's a pity. You nearly got away too. If you'd been anyone else, I would've had you arrested, but do you know why I'm letting you go today?"

The other's tone sent chills down his back. He averted his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Because it's fun watching you struggle." Usual smile back on his lips, the Russian waved, "Better luck next time, Gilbert."

Without answering, he turned and continued making his way back to his now empty apartment.

\--

_January, 1972_

It'd been months since he'd done anything. After sending all the children out, although he'd been talking to Lars, nothing significant had arisen yet.

Sighing and rolling up the letter to Francis and Ludwig, he attached it to the leg of the bird and was about to send it out the window when there was a knock on the door. Blinking, he got up warily, opening the window a crack, ready to set the pigeon free. He walked over to the door and leaned against it. "Who is it?"

"Little bird," was the hushed reply.

Gilbert released the breath he'd been holding. It was the codeword he and Lars had come up with after they began collaborating together. The Dutchman would find and deal with the clients during his shifts and send them over to him, he would then come up with a plan, contact Francis and arrange everything. That was their system and so far so good.

He opened the door to see a woman standing there with her child and silently reminded himself to write Francis a second note.

_France,_

_There's still work to be done._

_East_


	5. Chapter 5

_January, 1973_

There was a knock on the door.

Looking out his window, he could see a familiar expensive looking car and quickly bolted down the stairs to answer the door. There stood a man and a child holding a stuffed bear who smiled at him. "Bonjour, Ludwig.I see you're doing well. I hope you've been having a great birthday so far. Are Elizabeta or Roderich home? Ah, but before that, I suppose I should deliver this to you." The Frenchman handed him a small, rolled up note.

Excitedly stammering his thanks, he took the note and ran back to his room to read it, a habit he'd picked up from his brother. Downstairs, he could hear the adults being busy and chattering away, but he didn't care, unrolling the scroll, he began reading.

\--

_Dear West,_

_Hey, you're learning to write pretty big words now, aren't you? I'm doing awesome as usual. The other day, Holland nearly set the kitchen on fire with his stupid matches. He's one of those weird people who still smokes with one of those super old pipes, but luckily the boss was there and stopped it before the fire spread. And apparently there's been a little bird using my head as a nest, has it always been there? It's really soft though, and really cute, and really fun to pet but I could've sworn it was a different bird before._

_Anyways, I'm expecting this letter to find you before the 18_ _th_ _or else it'll be late, hmm? I promised to send you one of these every year, didn't I? So happy birthday West! Make sure you get Austria or France to make you something tasty to eat, and then have Hungary buy you something awesome! I mean, your birthday only rolls around once a year, so you might as well make the most of it._

_I hope you enjoy your birthday! I'll be celebrating here on the other side._

_Love,  
_ _East_

_\--_

Reading it over one more time while trying to suppress the smile on his face, he hopped off his bed and ran down the stairs. The brothers had been communicating through Francis, who was living over at the French sector of Berlin with Matthew, ever since he'd arrived to the west over a year ago.

He liked the French man. Not only was he charming and elegant, but he also took over his and Alfred's place in looking over the timid child, who he knew had been one of Bruder's favourites. Dashing into the kitchen, he grinned happily at the adults. "Thank you for delivering this."

The Frenchman smiled. "It was my pleasure, mon cher."

"Did he wish you a happy birthday?" Elizabeta asked him from the other side of the room.

Excitedly, he nodded. "Ja, just like he promised. Excuse me, I'm going out for a bit," he told them before heading back out into the hall where he ran into Feliciano and Matthew.

The brunet had a happy look on his face. "Ve, Ludwig, where are you going?"

He looked over at the pair. "To the platform. I'll only be going for a little bit, did you want to come?"

The other boy nodded. "Yeah, I want to come! Let's go, Matthew!"

The blond dipped his head. "O-okay, but I have to go ask papa first."

\--

"Ah, children are so precious," Francis muttered fondly as he faced the two adults, his head resting on the back of his hand when Matthew came running in.

"Papa?"

He sat up and smiled. "Oui, mon cher?"

The boy returned his smile as he hugged his bear tightly. "M-may I go out to the platform with Ludwig and Feliciano, papa? Please?"

The blond had never been able to say no to the boy, especially when he stuttered like that, it was just too precious. He frequently mentally sent his thanks to Gilbert for pairing him up with Matthew, who, he considered, like any doting father, was the perfect child. Leaning down and giving the boy a kiss on the head, he nodded. "Of course you may, mon petit, just make sure you stay by Ludwig, alright? And be careful, who knows how many people out there are after adorable little angels like you. Papa will have to cry himself to sleep if anything happens to you! Have fun! Don't run off too far!"

"Yes, papa!"

After the child ran back out excitedly, he turned his attention back to the pair. "The platform?"

Elizabeta sighed, "It's this platform nearby. If you stand on it, you can see over to the other side. Ludwig and Feli always go there to see if they can see Gil. It's gotten better, he used to go out every day…the poor boy."

He nodded. "It's a shame that Gilbert didn't make it over here. But as I've told you before, he's doing great things in the east. He's a hero in his own accord, helping all those children over. Not including our group, I believe he's almost at ten."

The woman was staring at her feet. "I know, but I also know the reality of what happens to the 'heroes' in the east. I've heard the stories, Francis, and I don't want any of that happening to Gilbert."

Roderich placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we shouldn't underestimate Gilbert. Even though he's an idiot, he's capable of taking care of himself. And nothing's really gone wrong as of yet except that one time."

"Ah, that brings me to another point." Francis pulled out a note from his pocket. "This is for you."

The pair blinked. "Oh? He doesn't write to us very often."

The blond shrugged. "Well, as I said, he's been very busy as of lately, and he's not the best at making conversation on paper."

Elizabeta nodded. "I can tell, he hasn't written Ludwig as often as he used to. He really does love that boy to death. What could he have to say to us?"

They unfolded the note and read it.

_Austria and Hungary_

_France told me you guys were stressing out over me because of how useless you think you are, not his exact words. You should know that you're doing more than you think by taking care of West. It eases my mind to know that he's in relatively good hands. But anyways, you shouldn't worry too much about me. I'm too awesome to screw up! Besides, I think everything happened the way it did so that I could stay here and do this. So continue to take care of West for me until I get there, okay? Bye!_

_East_

Elizabeta raised a brow at him. "Francis…"

"What? I might've mentioned something to him, that's all." The blond waved a hand offhandedly.

Roderich adjusted his glasses after reading the additional bit of the note. "Well, he certainly was in a contemplative mood, that idiot."

The Frenchman nodded in agreement. "I suppose even Gilbert has those kinds of days, especially now that he's there alone. It's strange to think that we used to always be within running distance of each other."

\--

The trio ran down the street and through the crowds until a lot of loud voices could be heard. Ludwig looked back to see the other blond boy hesitate. "It's okay, nothing's going to happen to us. It's the just people on the platform yelling. This is normal."

The youngest boy gave a slow nod and continued to follow them up the wooden stairs and onto the platform where people were crying, screaming and jeering. Some were yelling angry words at the soldiers on the other side, some were crying for separated loved ones, and Ludwig climbed onto the railings, scanning the streets for any sign of a man with light hair and red eyes.

Matthew leaned over to the brunet. "Why are we here?"

Feliciano smiled. "Ve, because it's Ludwig's birthday and we might see Gilbert! Last year we did this, we saw Gilbert walk by, down that street and I think he might've seen us but he didn't wave so we don't really know."

The younger blond dipped his head in understanding. "Oh, papa said before that people on the other side shouldn't wave at people or talk too much otherwise the scary men there will think they're doing something wrong and take them away."

"Is that why Gilbert didn't wave at us last time?"

"I guess? How does Ludwig know what time to stand here?"

He looked over at the pair and explained, "Because Bruder gets off work at three thirty."

"Oh."

And they vigilantly stood there for quite awhile when they noticed a distinct figure walking down the street. Feliciano waved happily. "Ve, look, it's Gilbert! I wonder if he can hear us."

Ludwig leaned in to get a better look. "I think Bruder just winked at us."

Matthew nodded. "Yeah, I think he did too, so that means he saw us, right?"

They continued waving and chattering happily among themselves until the man disappeared down the street. Only then did they get off the platform to head back to the house where Arthur and Alfred, Peter and his parents and eccentric neighbours and later, Antonio and Lovino joined them for cake and celebrations.

"Papa, Alf, we saw Gilbert on the other side today!"

"Is that so, mon cher? Did he look well?"

"Gilbo? You saw Gilbo, Mattie? Really? Is he still awesome? Come play with me!"

"Alfred, I've told you a million times not to use that word anymore!"

"But it's  _awesome_!"

"Arthur, clearly you have no grasp of understanding on how to raise children," Francis teased.

"Quiet, you bloody frog, don't talk like  _you_  do!"

"Ah, au contraire, mon ami, just take a look at my Mathieu, my precious ange, and you will see how wrong you are! He's well-mannered and perfect in every way!"

"What are you trying to say?" Arthur challenged.

"Yeah! A fight! Go Artie!"

"Papa's fighting?"

Francis quickly reassured the boy, "Of course not, mon cher, that would be a terrible example to set in front of children. Your papa would never do something so uncouth."

"That's right, Alfred, we're not fighting, we're merely having a disagreement between two responsible adults."

"That's lame!" Alfred complained.

"Hey Mattie, so you saw stupid Gilbo?" Peter asked.

"That stupid jerk? What happened to him anyways, damn it!"

"He's still on the other side!"

"Ah Gil, he was always so independent wasn't he?" Tino said with a laugh.

"W's he?"

"Yeah, don't you remember how he used to laugh to himself because he was having so much fun on his own?"

Ludwig watched as everyone ranted and raved happily in each other's company. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness when he realized that the only person missing was his brother. Suddenly, there was a hand at his shoulder, he looked up at Roderich who smiled at him. "I'm sure Gilbert's celebrating on the other side, and having too much fun doing it alone, that idiot. Don't forget to have your reply written and given to Francis before he leaves tonight, but for now, try to enjoy yourself, alright?"

Nodding, he decided to join in the fun, there was no sense in everyone celebrating except him.

\--

_Dear East,_

_You've always had that bird on your head, at least from what I remember._

_Did you see us at the platform today? I hope you did. I was there with Veneziano and Canada, and we saw you walking home. They were really happy to see you._

_Everyone was here to celebrate my birthday today, they're all doing great and it was very fun. We had food prepared by Austria, Hungary and France, the games and toys made by Sealand's parents and stories told to us by England and Spain. England's ghost stories were really scary and France scolded him for scaring us._

_They were all talking about you at dinner. Is it true that you have to burn France's letters after you read them? He says it's dangerous to keep them around where anyone can read them. Does that mean you burn ours as well? Veneziano thinks you do and he went all sulky for the rest of dinner. I wish you could've been there today, but I hope you had fun at home as well._

_Will you be coming over any time soon?_

_Love,_

_West_

_\--_

Double checking his letter for spelling mistakes and legibility and in case he wrote anyone's name, he pushed his chair back and dashed down the stairs and to the main entrance where Francis was waiting with a sleeping Matthew in his arms. Handing the note to the man, he asked politely, "Can you please get this to Bruder?"

Francis looked down at him and took the letter with a nod and a smile. "Of course, I'll make sure Gilbert gets this as soon as possible. I hope you had yourself a wonderful birthday, bonne nuit."

Watching the Frenchman's retreating figure, he turned to the remaining two adults. "Thank you for today."

Elizabeta shook her head. "think nothing of it. I hope you had yourself a very wonderful birthday, Ludwig. Oh yes, and here." She pulled out a box from nearby. "He requested that we get this for you." Blinking, he opened the gift to unveil a set of army figurines. "It's the same as the ones we used to play with. Gilbert used to spend hours coming up with tactics, trying to win against me-not that they ever worked. He thought you'd have as much fun as he did with these when he was your age," the woman explained to him.

"Thank you," he muttered, eyes still drinking in the sight of his present.

"Make sure you thank your Bruder in your next note, alright? You can play with these tomorrow. It's been a long day and you need your sleep."

Nodding obediently, he did as he was told and crawled into bed only to find Feliciano there. "Ludwig?"

"Ja?"

"I couldn't sleep in my own bed after Arthur's story, can I sleep here tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Good night."

"Good night."

Pause.

"Ludwig?"

"Ja?"

"Happy birthday."

"Danke."

"Did you make a wish when you blew out the candles?"

"Yea I did, but I can't say it aloud or it won't come true."

"Oh, okay. Do you think it'll come true?"

"I hope it does."

"I hope so too."


	6. Chapter 6

_November, 1974_

Bella smiled as she dusted her dress off and made her way over to the little restaurant her brother worked at. She'd gotten off earlier that day since the owner's grandchild got sick and so, he decided to close the store down earlier. And with all that extra time, she figured that even though her brother had told her not to go, paying him a visit couldn't hurt, especially when free food was involved.

Although they were originally from outside of Germany, with Lars being born in the Netherlands and her being from Belgium, due to their parents' constant travels around Europe, after the war had ended, their parents couldn't put off visiting their sick grandmother in Berlin. Unfortunately, soon after they arrived, not only did the old woman die, but the wall had been quite abruptly erected, blocking them off from the rest of the world. Their parents had been taken away after the first few months after getting arrested for getting caught planning escape routes with other civilians, leaving the siblings to fend for themselves.

Luckily, they were old enough and knew enough German to get by on their own. Lars found himself a job at a small restaurant while she helped out at a grocery store which was ran by a kindly old grandfather who had become the sole guardian of a sweet little girl. As a result, they were financially stable enough to get by, living in their grandmother's two bedroom apartment. It was a small place but a homely one.

From outside the restaurant, she could see her brother talking to the other waiter behind the counter, his arms were crossed while the other man sported a lazy grin on his lips. She'd noticed that as of lately, he'd become good friends with his co-worker, Gilbert, a loud man with light hair and red eyes, and he always had a watch on and a little bird on his head for some reason; either way, somehow, the man had become her emergency contact if Lars was ever unavailable or anything. After hearing that from her brother, she figured that they were working together on something, possibly something illegal, but what, she didn't know exactly; he had never told her before.

Pushing the door open and listening to the little bell at the top jingle, she winked her greeting to the two waiters and took a seat.

\--

He glanced over the counters as subtly as he could, idly running a finger over the scar on his forehead, the one he got when he was little where he ended up having stitches in his head for weeks and the doctor said it'd cut part of his skull and that he was lucky it didn't go through completely. He remembered Bella standing beside him the whole time at the hospital, crying and holding his hand as he sat in his bed with bandages around his forehead, bored out of his mind.

Scanning each and every customer in the restaurant, both to make sure that they were all satisfied, partly to look out for their next client, he relaxed slightly when nothing looked out of place. Suddenly, he raised a brow in interest as one of the customers nearby caught his attention.

The woman had all the signs.

Her newspaper was tilted and dog-eared while turned to the fifth page; she'd also ordered pasta with a side of tomato sauce and extra cheese. She was their next client. It was an elaborate set up simply to distinguish clients from other people but well worth the little extra sense of security that came with it. Jotting down what he was supposed to on the back of the receipt, he placed it in front of her and returned to his position behind the counters.

She got up and walked over to him and told him that the amount was wrong. He nodded and wrote down the next part and returned it to her. After paying, she slipped the bill into her purse and left. And from behind him, Gilbert gave a yawn before lazily grinning at him. "Most impressive, my compliments to you, sir. I must say, you're getting really good at this, very subtle, I hardly noticed a thing and I was waiting for it to happen too."

After making sure that all the customers were satisfied, he turned to his co-worker with crossed arms and an indifferent look. "You know, you could at least pretend to be useful instead of just standing there and napping on your feet for half an hour straight."

"My bad," the other gave a half-hearted apology and another yawn, "didn't get much sleep last night."

Sometimes he had to remind himself why he was even helping the German man. The keywords always boiled down to respect and friendship, though at the moment, watching his friend fall asleep on his feet, he couldn't help but absentmindedly reassess his judgment.

He shrugged to show how unimpressed he was with the excuse. "So? You're at work now. At least try to stay awake until your shift ends or the boss will send you packing."

Gilbert merely raised his arms and began stretching. "Whatever, I took that last dish out. But speaking of the old man, have you figured out what side he's on yet?"

For months now, the two had been trying to figure out which side their boss was on, and occasionally, they made bets on it too. While there were many times they'd seen him talking to the soldiers in a hushed tone, there were also times where he'd help them whether or not they were intentional. He was the one who'd given them their brilliant idea when he rolled his eyes and commented on how the soldiers never noticed subtle sign languages such as newspapers being held or people eating a certain way. Affiliated with both sides, they couldn't figure out whether or not they could trust the man and had been debating about the matter for weeks on end.

Lars pursed his lips and shook his head. "I still can't tell. He could be part of the Stasi for all I know. Everything he does is too subtle, but that old man's got plenty of tricks up his sleeves, I'll give him that. What do  _you_  think?"

"I want to believe that he's infiltrating the Russians for us, but in reality, we'll probably never know unless we ask him. And fortunately, I don't actually care enough to risk everything and ask." Suddenly, the bell at the door jingled, causing the two of them looked over. "Hey look, it's your Schwester, guess she got off early today. Now isn't that sweet? She came to visit and to mooch off of you."

"How many times have I told her not to come," he sighed but rang in an order for her favourite dish anyway. Who was he to deny her a meal? It wasn't like anyone in the place, aside from Gilbert, knew that they were related. "Oh yeah, how's your kid brother doing? Has he adapted to the other side?"

"West?" That was the name the boy had adopted after being smuggled out to avoid people tracing back to him due to their regular correspondence. "He's awesome, of course he's adapted. I mean, he's been awesome-fied by  _me_. He's in school and I bet he's way ahead of all the other kiddies. I feel kind of bad though, haven't been able to write to him in awhile with all this work coming up. The other kiddies write to me every now and then too."

"That's always nice," he muttered for lack of better things to say.

Gilbert nodded in agreement. "He keeps asking me when I'll go over and I keep telling him 'soon'. I wonder how many promises I'll have to break." He shook his head, clearing his head of those thoughts. "Why is it that when I talk to you, we end up talking like lame, cheesy brothers?"

His brows furled. "Hey, don't put me in the same boat as you, you're alone there."

"What are you talking about? I'm not the one who spent more than half your cheque buying Belgian chocolate and books from the black market for your sister. You know, I don't think I've ever seen her upset before, but then again, with such a loving brother who bought me all these gifts and gave me free food, I'd be cheery too. Damn, now I'm jealous."

"Shut up, it was her birthday."

"Liar. I distinctly remember that other time when you bought her that brooch and headband for her 'birthday'. Or the time before that, or the one before that…damn, I've fallen for that excuse a couple times already…"

"Shut up, it was…just shut up. I need a smoke…"

Gilbert looked down at his watch. "Well, it looks like my shift is over, so I'll just be taking my leftovers and make my way back home. See you tomorrow."

He let out a scoff. "I'd thank you for all the hard work you've done today but you haven't really done anything since I arrived."

"Ja, but I worked pretty damn hard before you got here so whatever." The man gave a wave and disappeared out the door.

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the freshly made dish and brought it out to the woman, speaking in a soft voice, "Did you get off early today?"

His sister looked up and smiled. "Ja, and then I got hungry so I decided to come here instead. It's not quite as good as homemade meals but it'll do."

"You're welcome," he muttered dryly and returned to work, ignoring her stifled giggles.

\--

_December, 1974_

Another normal day had gone by. They both went to work, and she returned home earlier than him. She fixed up dinner for when he got off, they ate together and had an idle conversation about how the day went. She made him do the dishes and they lounged around the living room for awhile; she read her book while he took a drag of the pipe their parents left them.

Until suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door and incoherent yelling from the other side.

They both shot up, her in confusion and Lars in alarm. Tapping the tobacco out of his pipe and placing it back in his pocket, he asked, "Who is it?" loudly to stall for time as he hastily motioned for her to remain quiet and ushered her into his bedroom. He removed one of the boards from under his bed, then, glancing at the door, gestured her for her to hide.

More screams came from the door.

"Hurry," he hissed in Dutch as she crawled under his bed and into the hiding space.

Once tucked in under the floorboards, she noticed that it was only big enough for one person and turned to look at her brother anxiously, the dread building up inside her chest. "Wait, broer, what are  _you_  going to do?"

"I'll be fine, just get out of here as soon as you can. Do you remember the path I taught you? Go all the way down the stairs and get into the next building and leave from there and stay off the main roads."

Shaking her head, she grabbed onto the hand that was clutching the loose board, tears of fear blurring her vision. "But broer, what's going to happen to you? You can't just leave me alone!"

His eyes softened momentarily as he wiped a tear from her eye. "Don't cry. You'll be alright, Bella. Be brave, okay? Once you're out, go find Gilbert, he'll help you. Be careful and make sure you don't get caught," he whispered, carefully sliding the floorboard over her head. "And no matter what happens in here, don't make a sound. Your broer loves you."

She tried her best to remain quiet as darkness closed around her and her brother's footsteps faded away. She could hear her ears ringing from being surrounded by silence until a moment later, when she began hearing soldiers shouting, some in Russian and some in German while her brother responded in the same calm tone he always used. Soon, it was followed by the sound of fists and boots on flesh and she clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself silent. Despite not being able to see, she could imagine everything with vivid details. There was no question about the body being thrown and kicked around was her brother's, not when she could hear his soft grunts of pain and the jeering of the soldiers.

Tears were sliding down her cheeks as she continued listening, unable to help in any way. Then the noises neared, they'd dragged him into his room and thrown him onto the floor. "Look there are two bedrooms, maybe he's keeping a woman around here!"

"Yeah, check out the picture! It must be his sister!"

"So where's your sister? She's awfully good looking, I wouldn't mind seeing her in person up close and personal, if you get my drift."

The other soldiers laughed.

She expected him to fight back but instead, he remained silent and took everything thrown at him.

Another punch was delivered, sending him sprawled on the floor. She stuck her fingers through the small crack of the board in attempt to reach him. He must've noticed because he reached over and brushed her fingers briefly, hissing, "Luister niet," before being dragged away for further abuse.

But she couldn't help but listen. She heard everything as they attacked her brother for reasons she didn't completely understand. She didn't know how long it actually went for but after what felt like an eternity, the soldiers grew bored with his unresponsiveness and unwillingness to put up a fight.

A scoff. "You'd think a rebel would be feistier than this."

"How pathetic. So what should we do with him?"

"Well we have to take him with us, make sure you get people to keep an eye on this place. The girl may try to come in or out, we can use her as leverage. Look at that, a bit of roughhousing and he's practically unconscious already. Come on boys, let's get this useless piece of crap of here."

"Yes, sir!"

\--

Even after they left, she stayed under the boards, trying to calm her breathing until a long while later, slowly and warily, she pushed the board off. The soldiers hadn't bothered turning out the lights when they abandoned the place, leaving her to witness every detail of the crime that'd occurred in that very room. There were blood splatters covered a large portion of the floor and furniture. Covering her mouth, she ran to the washroom and promptly emptied her stomach.

"Broer." She was trying to choke back her sobs and regain her composure as she rinsed her mouth and washed her face, trying to wake herself from the nightmare. "Broer, I'm scared. I want to go home. Broer, where'd you go," she muttered miserably as she stumbled out of the room.

Gathering her wits, she grabbed a pack and ran around, collecting all her essential items before poking her head out the door. Looking both ways, she crept out and ran for the emergency fire escape stairway. Following her brother's instructions, she ran all the way to the underground where there was a hidden door that connected the building to the next. Once in the second building, she pulled out the piece of paper with the address on it that Lars had given to her before and squinted to make out the letters. Mentally planning her route as well as she could, she stuffed the piece of paper back in her pocket and snuck into the back alley.

Weaving through various alleyways and streets, she finally found herself at her intended destination. Running into the building and up the stairs, she wandered almost aimlessly around the halls until she found the number she was looking for.

\--

Gilbert was getting ready for bed when there was suddenly, frantic knocking at the door. Cautiously, he walked over to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"It's Bella, Lars' sister," was the desperate reply. "Please let me in."

Taken aback, he quickly undid the locks and latches and opened the door to see the blonde standing there, tears still streaking down her face. He had a sinking feeling in his chest even as he let her in. "Lars' sister? Why are you here at this hour?"

The woman stumbled into the apartment and clutched onto his shirt. "Please, I need your help, broer needs your help! H-he's been taken by soldiers!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luister niet - Don't listen (Dut)


	7. Chapter 7

_December, 1974_

After calming the girl down and seating her on the couch, he retreated to the kitchen to fetch her a cup of coffee. He hesitated when he realized that it was the same brand that Lars had recommended to him just last week.

"Bitte." He offered the cup to her.

"Danke schön," she muttered back, taking the mug from him.

Figuring that he wasn't going to get much sleep that night, not with Lars' sister sitting on the couch and with his morning shift coming up, he sighed and took a drink out of his own mug. There was a long moment of silence before he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. "So Lars got taken away? What happened?"

Shuddering at the memory, she nodded. "We'd just finished supper and were sitting around the apartment as always…then out of nowhere, these soldiers began knocking at our door. Broer made me hide in the little space under his bed and went to open the door." Tears were stinging at her eyes again. "And the soldiers kept yelling at him and t-then…and then they began beating him up. They just wouldn't stop…a-and I could hear everything even though broer told me not to listen, I did, I heard everything! They kept laughing and hitting him and he wasn't even trying to fight back! An-and then, they t-took him away and I came here…"

He handed her a tissue and remained silent.

She wiped her tears away and blew her nose. Then she turned to him. "Tell me, why'd they take broer away? You're his friend, you know him, you work with him, so you must know."

Slightly shocked, he stared at her. "He never told you?"

Bella shook her head. "All he said was to find you if anything were to happen to him. I figured it was illegal, but for him to get taken away like that…"

Silently swearing to himself, he ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, follow me." He led her into his room where he'd pinned up all the notes that the children had sent him. "This is what he was doing. He was helping me out. You're right about it being illegal, but it's the good kind of illegal. He was helping me get kids over to the west."

Wide eyed, she read a couple of the notes.

" _Dear East,_

_How are you? Papa said that he's going to bring me to Quebec and that we can go buy maple syrup! America said he wanted to come but him and England are going away for a couple weeks so he can't. Are you having fun over there? Papa's taught me how to feed Pierre when he gets home! We all miss you._

_Love,  
Canada"_

" _Dear East,_

_Yesterday, Spain came to visit with Romano! It was a lot of fun and Spain almost brought all of us back to his house with him, he said it'd be like a paradise there but he got stopped by the adults. It's hard not writing names._

_Will we get to see you again soon?_

_Love,  
Veneziano"_

She turned to him. "Who wrote all these?"

"The first kiddies I got over." He couldn't help but smile fondly at the memories. "Lars knew all about it. It began with him sneaking extra food for me, then after the first few left, he began helping me out. Your Bruder helped saved a lot of people."

A flash of anger surged through her. Those people were the ones that caused her brother to be taken away. It was their fault he was attacked and arrested in his own home. It was their fault she had to turn to a stranger for help. It was their fault for needing his help. It was all their fault. It was all Gilbert's fault for dragging her brother into this whole mess in the first place.

She snapped before she could stop herself, "So it was you! Why'd he have to know you? Why'd you drag him into all of this? I don't care if he was a hero or a criminal! I don't care about all those other people! I just want broer back! I'd trade all the people he helped for him! I just want broer…I want things to go back to the way they were before tonight!"

It was strange seeing the girl angry and upset. Every time she'd walked into their workplace, she always had a bright grin on her face which only widened when she watched her brother sigh and shake his head as he proceeded to place an order for her. She'd been so happy, so well protected from the world…but now here she was, yelling at him with tears running down her face. Idly, he wondered if Ludwig had the same reaction when he broke his promise and got out of the car that day.

Sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck. "You're obviously in no state of mind to think straight. Here," he took her to the spare bedroom where the bunk bed was, "you can sleep in here tonight. We'll talk again in the morning."

Wiping the tears away, she tried to calm herself down the best she could and asked, "Why are there two bedrooms here?"

He shrugged. "That room used to be my grandma's then my parents' and now it's mine. This room used to be mine then it became West's and the kiddies."

She blinked. "West?"

"My little brother, he shared this room with all the other kiddies that were living here before," he told her offhandedly before closing the door behind him as he left the room. "Gute Nacht."

\--

Once back in his own room, he sat down at his desk and raked a hand through his hair. Lars had been caught. There was no doubt in his mind what the ultimate result would be. Even if he wanted to go rescue the Dutchman, not only could he not jeopardize the plan they were going to go through with next week but by the time they reached Lars, it'd probably be too late. The blond wasn't the first person to get caught, and from inside sources, people like him were easily killed without a second thought, he'd be lucky to get sent to jail. During the interrogations and abuse, the people that didn't break, died. And the fact that he knew Lars wouldn't talk simply reinforced his fate.

Though the longer he sat there, the stranger he found the idea of his friend being gone. Stupid Lars and the constantly bored look he had on his face. Stupid Lars and his stupid last words which meant so little yet so much at the same time. Even in the end, he was trying to shield his sister from the cruelty of reality.

" _Don't listen."_

Those were his last words…and now he was being interrogated somewhere.

Or maybe he was already dead.

He didn't get any sleep that night as he pondered possible ways of getting his friend out.

Finally, he resorted to writing to Francis, informing him that planning would have to be put on a hiatus as his middleman had been taken in. But upon second thought, he realized that things were getting too real. His only friend in the east had just been taken away and eventually, they'd catch up to him. He shuddered when he thought about what his friend would be subjected to within the next 24 hours and realized that he had to get himself out before it became too late.

\--

The next morning, he sat and ate breakfast as the blonde across from him stared at him, eyes weary from all those tears. And he couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her; after all, her whole world had just crumbled into dust. Finally, he couldn't take the silence anymore. "Alright, listen, because Lars asked me to help you, I will. But since you're not exactly a small child, I understand that I can't force you to do anything you don't want to. So, would you like me to help you?"

She nodded. "Ja."

"And how would you like me to help you? I can arrange for you to cross over to the west and then from there, you can find your way back to the Netherlands or Belgium or whatever part of Europe you came from."

Bella frowned in confusion. "Cross over? I don't want to go to the west, that's not the help I need. I need you to help me get broer out of jail."

He'd hoped she wouldn't say that .Not having the heart to tell her the truth about her brother's fate, he merely shook his head. "Sorry, no can do. Look, Lars' request didn't entail risking your life to break him out of jail and speaking as a Bruder, that's probably the last thing he wants you to do. So as his friend, I'm afraid I have to decline your request."

"But-"

Gilbert held a hand up. "Listen to me, jailbreak plans don't work in situations like these. You won't get to see your Bruder for a long, long time, that's all I can tell you."

She stood up angrily. "But aren't you his friend? If you'd been caught, broer-"

"He would've said, 'That's too bad. That Gilbert, damn he was awesome,' in the same voice he always uses and then go to work the next day, and he'd probably have to cover my shift for me. I mean, don't get me wrong, we're friends, but we're also partners in crime. And we have a 'friends don't let other friends get arrested' policy, so whoever gets arrested first, they don't blab and whoever's still free continues the work. He understood what he was getting himself into when he first started helping me out and he probably knew what was going to happen to him when he hid you and opened that door."

Though she tried to hold back her tears, they began welling up in her eyes again. "But broer never said anything. We managed to live a normal life here despite everything that's happened to us. Why would he go and do all this? We could've been just fine…why didn't he tell me anything?"

His eyes softened slightly. "Because he was trying to protect you from this place. You were the only family he had left and he loved you more than anything, so he kept you safe and sheltered, oblivious to all the problems around here. I did the same with West, except instead of just covering his eyes from the east, I sent him away from it so he'd never get a chance to even look at it. There were so many things Lars didn't want you to know about…"

It felt strange using nothing but past tenses and talking about his friend like the man was already dead. Suddenly, he couldn't remember any of those annoying habits he had or the way he always had that bored look on his face or the way his stupid matches were portable fire hazards.

Bella merely shot him a lost look. "What do you mean?"

He never intended to lecture the girl but everything just came tumbling out of his mouth before he could control himself. "I mean he didn't want you to know about all the parents who left their kids behind in favour of personal security or the ones who tried to give us the last of their money so that we could get their children to safety, to ensure that they'll have a future they can look forward to. He didn't want you to know about the people we snuck food for to keep them from dying on the streets. He didn't want you to know about how the police have arrested and killed people we knew for no reason whatsoever or how friends have turned out to be Stasi members.

"He didn't want you to know any of that so he tried his best to keep you oblivious to all of it because even though you're not a child anymore, to him, you're still his one and only kid sister. I'm not saying he was wrong for shielding you because I did the same thing and as older brothers, that's just what we do. And Lars was damn good at being a Bruder, which is why he specifically told me to help  _you_  if something were to happen to him. He knew what the police would do if they were to catch anyone connected to him. And that's why you should give up your rescue plan; because what you're thinking of right now is some crazy, unrealistic plan that has a sliver of a chance of succeeding and I can tell you right now, it won't work. Lars wouldn't want you to throw your life away like that, not for him."

People always talked better about a man when he's dead.

He couldn't help but wonder if it'd be the same for him some day.

Her shoulders were shaking from her sobbing. Suddenly, she felt like a little girl again except she didn't have her brother there to hold her hand and fend off her offenders like he always did.  _Broer, broer, broer…_ Mentally, she could only hear herself crying out for him though she knew that there wouldn't be a reply; like groping for a hand that wasn't there. And although she didn't want to hear the answer, she asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"

_Broer, make him stop. Make him shut up. He's lying. Your friend's making me cry, make him stop. I don't want to listen to him anymore I don't like him. I'm scared. He keeps talking about you like you're dead, make him stop. Make him stop. Make him stop. Broer, where are you? Why aren't you here? Make him go away. Broer…_

"Because you're Lars' kid sister. If you didn't open your eyes to the truth, you would've gone and done something stupid, and he'd probably hate me for it." She tried her best not to listen. He got up. "Look, I have to get to work. Feel free to stay here for as long as you'd like, but other than getting you through the borders, I can't help you. I'm sorry."

Then he left.

In the end, he still couldn't tell her that her brother probably wasn't going to make it. He was as guilty as Lars, feeding her illusions that something in the east might end well.

He felt cold inside for the rest of the day.

\--

At work, after his shift ended, the owner frowned and walked up to him with an unreadable expression on his face. He'd probably already clued in as to what'd happened especially since Lars had never been late before. But instead of asking questions of noting hte obvious, the man merely asked him, "Can you do a double shift for awhile? It'll just be till we get a new worker."

Gilbert nodded. "Sure, boss."

The place had never felt so silent and empty before…

\--

And once he finished his double shift and returned to his apartment, the woman had disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

_January, 1975_

Something was wrong.

Poking his head around the doorframe, he watched as the man stare out the window from his chair. He wasn't sure whether the other was waiting for the appearance of a bird or their driver. Softly, he asked, "Papa?"

The blond turned around. "Oui, mon cher?"

"It's time to go…"

Reluctantly, he got up. "Alright," taking the boy's hand, the two walked out the door, "let's go. I suppose we should call a cab…"

\--

Ludwig couldn't hide his disappointment when Francis arrived late and empty-handed. From behind him, Elizabeta was quick to reassure him, "I-I'm sure he's just busy with his work, that's all! You know what an idiot Gil can be sometimes! Really, that man, the next time I see him, I'll definitely beat an apology out of him!"

He missed the look the Frenchman shot her.

"I guess…" he muttered. "I'm going to go outside for a bit…" He made his way out the door with Feliciano and Matthew following close behind, both exchanging worried looks with one another before following the blond boy. And back in the room, Francis motioned for the adults to congregate in the dining room.

\--

"Francis, please tell me this isn't true," Elizabeta pleaded, slumping down in her chair. "Please tell me you have a letter from Gilbert and you're just hiding it. He said…"

"I know what he said." The blond shook his head. "And I wish I could tell you I was pulling a horrible prank. But come now, we don't have to assume the worst right away, perhaps he really is swamped with work. You know how busy he gets with all this, he could've accepted a last minute job," he suggested unconvincingly.

The brunette protested, "But he loves Ludwig more than anything in the world, there's no way he'd forget to at least send a letter on his birthday. He could never do that to Ludwig."

Roderich stared at his feet. "That idiot…he better be alright…"

"Maybe he's just late," he reassured the pair. "If Pierre does come in at any time, I have someone who'll deliver the message to me here right away and I've directed my chauffeur to come here the second he gets back."

\--

There was no sign of Gilbert from the platform either.

After nearly an hour, he finally gave up and retreated back home where everyone else was waiting. Once he was through the doors, he looked at Elizabeta and Roderich who were watching him expectantly and shook his head sadly. The pair exchanged worried glances momentarily before redirecting everyone's attention to more festive activities.

Somehow, he found it hard to enjoy himself that day, and after everyone had left, he confronted the two. "Why hasn't Bruder sent anything yet?"

"I'm sure he's just being overloaded with work, Ludwig, be a little patient with him. I'm sure he's celebrating on the other side like he always does. Maybe he's writing the card now, he's just late, that's all. Just be a little patient."

But he couldn't. As a child, all he understood was his disappointment which soon turned into anger. Anger from being placed second after work, anger from having another promise broken, anger from missing his only brother in the world; tears stung at his eyes. "But he promised he'd send me one  _every_  year on my birthday! I bet Bruder forgot about it! He broke another promise! I don't want a Bruder who breaks his promises! I hate him," he yelled and ran up to his room.

No one tried to stop him.

\--

That was the first and last tantrum he ever threw.

He apologized for yelling the next day but not for the words he yelled.

\--

Later that night, Feliciano poked his head through the door. "Ludwig?"

"What?" He turned onto his side and muttered.

"Can I come in?"

"I guess…"

Crawling under the covers, the brunet gave him a hug. "Happy birthday."

It wasn't a happy birthday.

"Danke…"

"I'm sorry about Gilbert…"

"Don't be." He huffed and turned around. "He broke his promise again. I hope I never hear from him again."

He never expected his wish to come true.

\--

_March, 1975_

Matthew watched as the blond man stared out the window. "Papa?"

Francis turned around. "Oui, mon cher?"

Making his way over, he hugged the man loosely. "Has Pierre come home yet?"

Picking the boy up, the pair looked out the window. "I'm afraid not, Mathieu, I'm afraid not."

"…papa?"

"Oui?"

"What's happened to Gilbert?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that either…"

\--

_May, 1975_

He watched from the stairway as Elizabeta and Roderich opened the door for the Frenchman. The man was here alone today. They exchanged a few words before the blond shook his head with a frown on his face before turning around and heading back up the stairs.

It was strange.

As the days turned into months, he found himself adapting to the absence of letters. He'd come to stop expecting them, come to stop expecting frequent visits from Francis and Matthew. At times, it felt as though everything had been dreamt up, but then he'd open his drawer to find all the old letters he'd received, and he'd remember the letter he never received, then the ire would resurface and he'd slam the drawer shut and leave the room.

\--

She frowned. "There's still no word from him?"

Francis shook his head mutely.

"Can't you send another bird to him or something?"

"We agreed to only send one. It's too risky, sending more birds."

Frowning, she protested, "But what if your bird got lost or hurt or something?"

The man's brows furled at the question. "My Pierre would never get lost and even if he was hurt and unable to fly, I'm sure Gilbert would've found a way to contact me by now."

There was a pause.

"So you mean to say that Gil's…no, I refuse to believe that! I-I mean what about Ludwig? What are we supposed to tell him? He still thinks Gilbert forgot about him for work. He's still upset at him. No, there's no way Gil could be…we were supposed to catch up and talk about the old days. I was going to make him give me a late speech as my maid of honour. Best friends don't just suddenly disappear into thin air like that, they can't." She broke off into incoherent mumbles as she covered her mouth and shook her head in disbelief before being drawn into the Austrian's arms in tears.

Roderich frowned as he tried his best to sooth her crying. "It's alright…we don't know anything for certain yet. That idiot…" Then he turned to the blond. "What do we do now, Francis?"

The Frenchman shook his head. "I don't know…I've been called to a conference in Canada, so Mathieu and I will be gone for a few weeks. But if there's anything, anything at all from Gilbert, I will inform you immediately. And as for Ludwig…I'm afraid I'll have to suggest that you let him get used to life without his brother…"

\--

_November, 1990_

After that, Elizabeta and Roderich never mentioned Gilbert to him again. And he never brought it up either. As the years went by, every day, he merely went about dealing with his daily business, it was school when he was younger and his job now. It'd been so long that he simply let the memories and feelings fade away over time. It didn't take very long for everything to turn into a dream, a story he'd made up when he was little. Although he still kept in touch with everyone, it seemed like everything had always been the way they were now.

For example, Alfred and Matthew had always been self-proclaimed brothers. Alfred had always spoken English fluently, and he'd always lived with Arthur up until the point where they had that fight which led to the boy moving to America though he was currently in Berlin again for work. Matthew had always spoken English and French, he'd always had that stuffed bear whose name he couldn't remember and had always been doted on by Francis while mistaken for Alfred by Arthur.

Those were the truths he'd come to accept; how things always were and always will be.

Just like how he'd always lived with Feliciano, Roderich and Elizabeta.

Just like how he'd always lived in West Berlin, on the other side of the wall.

Everything else felt too surreal to have been reality, like those dreams of the childhood he believed he never had, the ones with that grinning man and the small plates of leftovers split between seven people, they were simply things he made up in his mind. They weren't real. Like those talks the two of them had shared, they weren't real.

" _Lui, here's a lesson for you. When you make a plan, there will be flaws. There's no such thing as a flawless plan, that's a just a bluff. Plans will always have flaws. It's all a matter of minimizing the amount there are and how big there are. That's what an awesome plan is, one with a few small flaws and nothing more. But no matter how well planned something is, there will be flaws and sometimes, when you take the risk of going through with your plan, these flaws will pop up and everything will just blow up in your face. It happens. And all you can do when it happens is go along with it, live through it, and come up with a new plan. Got it?"_

Like those dreams where that man gave him a kiss on the head and got out of the car, they weren't real.

" _Remember what we were talking about? This is just one of those flaws that happens, so don't worry, you know exactly what I'll do, right? Be good, Lui…"_

Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one who had those strange dreams, if he was the only one making up a past he didn't believe in. But no one ever spoke about it, so his questions, like his memories, faded away in the blinding silence that no one wanted to break.

But the silence and all the truths he'd come to believe came tumbling down along with the Berlin wall. During the past year and a bit, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, people came pouring out of the east; no one he knew though. And once the wall was down, he was able to walk down the street and see the monochrome world that'd once been merely a cement wall away.

Staring, he could remember looking at that exact scene when he stood on the platform. He could remember the yells and cries from all the people around him. He could remember the anxiety he felt back then. Would he show? Would he not show? Would he be able to see him? What if he'd missed him already?

He could remember the disappointment and anger, and he tried his best not to remember who those feelings were for.

But when he was attempting to tidy up the den, he came across old notes from the one person he was trying to forget and just like the wall, the reality he'd come to full heartedly believe came tumbling down.

" _Austria-Hungary,_

_Witty isn't it? Just like in the history books, those countries were technically married and became a single empire, no? Anyways, as you can guess, I am awesome and being alone is super, super fun. You haven't let anything leak, right? With the surprise and all that, especially since we won't know what'll actually happen until it happens-despite how amazingly awesome my plan is. The plan isn't flawless, just so you know. And in the case that this surprise doesn't go through as planned, I must request that you continue to love and care for West as your own child. Please teach him all sorts of interesting things, tell him stories about how awesome we were and all the pranks we played on the other kids. And please, make sure he grows up to be a proper man in place of me._

_Of course this is only in case of emergencies, so you can probably just disregard this message since I'm beyond awesome._

_Thanks._

_See you soon,  
East"_

It was signed January 9th, 1975.

\--

Minutes later, the call came.

" _Hello? Hey, Ludwig? It's Alfred. I think there's something you need to see and something we need your help with. Would you mind coming with us tomorrow? Who's 'us'? What do you mean 'who's us'? It's just **us** , you know, the usual group. Where? To the east…alright, we're meeting at ten tomorrow at Artie's place. Awesome, I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ludwig's birthday is January 18th, in case you're wondering. It's the date of the unification of Germany: January 18th, 1871. And no, I can't help but squeeze in as much of Mattie and Francis in here as possible. The official date of the fall of the Berlin Wall was November 9th, 1989 but Germany's reunification date was October 3rd, 1990. Please tell me if I got any of the facts wrong! Anyways thank you readers and thank you lots reviewers! Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

_November, 1990_

The atmosphere was tense.

Even though they'd known each other for over half their lives, the atmosphere was notably different as they stood around and waited for everyone to gather. He realized that something was definitely off when Feliciano arrived early for once. The greetings were quiet and formal, and the walk was uncharacteristically solemn. He looked around subtly to see Alfred leading the way with a frown on his face, Matthew following close behind, equally solemn, Arthur and Francis had rather forlorn expressions on their face, Elizabeta stayed close to Roderich and Feliciano walked quietly behind him. Peter had moved to Sweden and Lovino to Spain and so, they weren't as free to move around.

"Sorry it took so long, I mean with the fall of the wall and the reunification of Germany and whatnot, it took awhile to get all the paperwork done and everything approved and stuff," the American noted mildly.

"So where are we going?" he finally asked though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "You see, the thing is, we found this place…"

He raised a brow at the younger man's obvious avoidance. "Yes? And what about this place you found?"

"Well it used to be a Soviet headquarters of some sort," the American was desperately looking around to the others for help but received none. "It'll make more sense if I explain it there."

\--

Once he walked past what used to be the wall, the world around him seemed to change. Though he'd never walked down the area where their destination was, it somehow felt as though he'd entered a foreign area, so similar yet different at the same time.

When they finally arrived at a large building, Alfred stopped and turned around. "It's going to get really ugly so if you don't think you can handle it, you probably shouldn't come in here. This was one of the Soviet headquarters we found when we were going through this area," he began explaining as they entered the place. The area was filled with police and other professionals, all bustling about, all oblivious to their presence. "And we found this one room which, we believe, was the interrogation area."

He could feel his head pounding in his chest and the blood rushing in his ears.

Leading them down the hall and through a door, down a long staircase and into an empty concrete room minus a single door, the blond frowned and warned them all, "Just a heads up, it takes a long while to get used to the smell, although this place hasn't been used in a bit, with the way the room was sealed up, quite a bit of the stench's still there."

Opening the door, the odour hit them right away.

It was the smell of rotting flesh and death.

Feliciano stopped and turned around, looking a little sick. "I think I'll wait for you upstairs."

Covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve, Alfred continued onwards. "When we were here, we found this room empty. But then one of the guys noticed that the floors weren't even and when we began poking around, and then we found…Well, you can see for yourself what we found."

Ludwig was appalled to see bodies lying in rows throughout the room with people wandering about, examining them, some doctors, others merely civilians. They ranged from decaying corpses with cuts and welts still visible to skeletons in torn rags. At this, Francis turned to his son with a worried frown. "Mathieu, mon cher, you look ill. Perhaps you should turn back."

Matthew continued staring at the bodies, face pale. Alfred frowned, he hadn't meant to show the other blond such a gruesome scene, especially since he knew how soft-hearted the other was. He began ushering the younger man away, his brotherly instincts kicking in. "Mattie, Francis is right, you don't have to stay. It's okay, just go back out and wait for us. We won't be here very long, I only really need Ludwig and maybe Francis here anyways. You look like you're ready to hurl."

Arthur wrapped an arm around the young man's shoulder. "Alfred's right, lad. Here, I'll take you back outside. The fresh air will do you good."

And once they were gone, Ludwig shook his head. "Were all these people killed in here?"

Alfred nodded. "We have reason to believe they were and we've arranged them in chronological order the best we could. The problem is identification. Some of the people you see here are folks that have missing family members and friends and they're here to see if they can find their missing person. The thing is, Lui…" He hadn't been called that in years, only the kids he grew up with knew that name and only one person really used that name consistently had been… "Francis and I've been trying to track down Gilbert." After hearing that name, suddenly the reality he'd created for himself fell apart. "And we haven't had any luck. And then we found this place and we don't know anything for certain yet but," the younger blond led them towards a couple skeletons, "these are the ones from around 1975, when we lost contact with him."

"We're not forcing you to do anything you don't want to. I understand how hard this must be for you. Feel free to leave if you have to," the Frenchman quickly reassured him.

"With these remains are the possessions we found with them. If you don't mind, since you've been with him the longest and you were the last of us to see him, could you look around and see if you recognize anything here? We just want to know if Gilbert's…yeah…"

That was when Elizabeta's breath got caught in her throat, she covered her mouth and gave a weak shake of the head and Roderich escorted her out.

Looking down at the skeletons, he noticed that many of their bones were missing or had been shattered. Alfred caught his horrified stare and explained, "The interrogations here were probably ruthless. We don't think many people, if any, made it out of here alive. Most of the bodies we found here were badly mutilated one way or another, and most of them have gun wounds as well meaning they were most likely beaten then shot."

He remained silent. Somehow, the other's blatant explanation didn't help calm his flipping stomach.

Along the rows of skeletons, he noticed a blonde woman kneeling in front of one of the bodies and crying. She looked worn out and malnourished as she knelt there, holding what appeared to be a broken pipe. As he walked past her and the skeleton with the missing ribs and a shattered leg and an old cut on the forehead, he could hear the woman's weeping in a broken mixture of German and Dutch. "Broer, what've they done to you? I'm so sorry. I never meant any of it to happen that way. I'm so sorry …I messed everything up and I just ran from it all. I left him there and ran away for all these years. I'm so sorry…he was right…I found out what the east was actually like and I was so lost without you…broer…he was right and all I did was get him killed…I'm so sorry…"

And they kept walking; body after body, it got to the point where instead of seeing them as people, he simply began looking at them as a blur of skeletal remains on display. That is, until one of them caught his attention. His breath hitched when he looked at the wrist. There was an all too familiar watch on the skeleton's fractured wrist. Stopping in his tracks, he leaned down and took a better look at it.

" _Look Lui, I found Vati's watch! I guess he forgot it or left it here or something. Isn't it awesome? It tells both the time_ _ **and**_ _date! Now I'll never lose track of time again!"_

Now the watch was cracked and broken, its time stopped forever at ten thirty-nine, January 16th.

The American turned his attention to him. "What is it, Ludwig?"

He continued staring at the body. "That watch…"

The degree of brutality visible on this skeleton seemed to exceed many of the others in the room. The body had ribs missing like man of the other ones, a few fingers were missing, one of the legs had been shattered along with the wrist the watch was on, and the skull wasn't even fully intact anymore.

It made him sick just look at such a broken body.

But he couldn't turn away. His brain had blanked out and stopped functioning.

He couldn't make the connection that that body was once a living person. He couldn't associate any of his memories to the bones in front of him. The good times he'd lived through, the bad times he'd lived through, they had nothing to do with the skeleton lying there as far as he was concerned.

Alfred on the other hand, had an unreadable expression on his face. "That's right…that's the watch he always looked at…"

\--

" _Gilbo, is it snack time yet?"_

" _What time did I say snack time was again?"_

" _What time is it?"_

" _Hmm? It's…oi! You're a sly little thing, aren't you? I've taught you well! Alright, just for that awesome move you almost pulled on me, I'll make snack time now."_

" _Awesome!"_

" _Thanks, I know I am."_

_\--_

Looking at the younger pair as they stared, absolutely mesmerized by the broken body, Francis frowned. Although Alfred was usually good with dealing with scenes of crime and brutality, when it came to dealing with someone he once knew, the young man had reverted back to a childlike state and looked ready to cry. And Ludwig who was usually more conservative with his emotions had a blank look of shock written all over his face. He knew the young man had tried to move on with his life by convincing himself that his past life in the east had all been a dream but with the evidence--no, with his only brother lying there, he could almost hear the boy's walls crumbling away.

Though it took awhile, Francis managed to tear his gaze away from his childhood friend and began leading the boys out. "Come now, I think that's quite enough for one day."

\--

After leaving the building, time seemed to flow again as people bustled about on the streets, unaware of the horrors that'd taken place under the very grounds they walked on. Francis had gone to comfort the youngest blond while Elizabeta and Roderich approached him anxiously. "Was there anything?"

He could tell they were hoping that he'd tell them, 'No, there'd been a mistake, there's absolutely nothing there that could be related to anyone we knew', but instead, all he could do was let his head drop into an apologetic sad shake.

That'd been enough to get the message across as the woman let out a cry of disbelief and finally let her tears run free for the loss of one of her oldest friends. Nothing had registered in his mind yet; even as he watched the people around him break down into tears.

Arthur looked over worriedly at him. "Will you be alright, lad? You've been through a lot today. Let's head back and call it a day. We can figure everything out over a cup of tea tomorrow."

He gave a weak nod and watched as people began leaving. From beside him, Elizabeta had turned to him. "Ludwig, there's something you should know…"

Though he knew what the woman was going to say, he asked anyway, "About what?"

"About Gilbert and who he was…I know you haven't forgiven him yet and you probably don't want to hear this but…"

Ludwig shook his head, thinking back to the letter he read yesterday. He'd realized that he needed to get a clearer picture of what'd happened. And inside, he'd realized that he couldn't remember what his brother was like anymore. "No, it's fine, Elizabeta. Tell me."

The brunette collected herself the best she could. "You're so different from him… Gilbert, he was my best friend. I turned to him for everything. When we figured out that I was a girl, he stayed my friend. When the other kids didn't believe me, he gave me flowers for my hair. I don't know if you remember, but he saved us as the border."

He nodded, thinking back to that day. "I remember…"

"And when he found out that Roderich and I probably won't be able to have children, I remember how he wrote me a reply right away…"

\--

_Hey Hungary,_

_Why are you so upset? Of course you can't have kids, men can't give birth. Has_ _**Austria** _ _tried? I get this feeling you're going to beat me up if I see you any time soon… But anyway, I don't get what you're freaking out about. You guys already have two super awesome kiddies, don't you? Well, West is only your temporary kid until I get there. But still, I entrusted those kiddies to you guys so don't tell me you'll never be a parent because you already are one so deal with it._

_And if you're that desperate, I'm serious, get Austria to give it a go._

_East_

_\--_

The woman was staring at her shoes now. "His letter helped a little. He was always there for me and I never even told him how much that meant to me. I never got to say goodbye, I never got to say sorry, and I never got to thank him for the flower or to yell at him for being an idiot. And now I'll never see Gilbert again. We never really got along that well but he was still my best friend."

The blond furled his brows. "I don't understand why you're telling me all this now. Why didn't you say anything when I first got angry at him?"

Elizabeta rubbed her arm sheepishly. "Because this is the Gilbert I knew…and I was hoping that he'd suddenly appear and show you this side of him himself."

"Mon cher." He turned around with a start. He hadn't noticed that Francis had been standing there the whole time. "I think what Elizabeta's trying to get at is that there are many sides to Gilbert and it'd be a shame if you only remembered the one you were mad at. For example, the Gilbert I knew was a brilliant tactician, and a wonderful friend, he gave me mon Mathieu and he was a great brother to you, no?" He must not have looked convinced because Francis continued, "He was planning on coming to the west, you know?"

This caught his attention. "What?"

"After his friend got caught, Gilbert began planning right away. He was afraid."

He raised a brow. He couldn't remember a single instance where he could put the words 'fear' and 'Bruder' in the same sentence. "Of the east?"

The Frenchman frowned. "Of never seeing you again, of never getting out, of risking other people's lives...there were a lot of things he had to take into account. You see, after his friend was caught, his sister came running to him for help. But he couldn't help her, at least not the way she wanted him to."

"Which was…?" Pursing his lips, he wondered if the girl had somehow caused his brother's death.

"She wanted to free her brother from wherever he was being kept…he's probably one of the victims you saw down there. She left the next day and I never heard another word about her ever since. But after that, Gilbert realized that if he continued, the same thing would probably happen to him and he didn't want that so he made plans for his trip to the west. He was planning on surprising you on your birthday but he never made it… Here," he took out a piece of paper, "it's a letter he wrote to you in case anything went wrong. He asked me to give it to you when we were sure he was actually dead. But I have a request."

The German furled his brows as he accepted the note. "What is it?"

"Before you read this, I'd like you wait until you remember exactly who Gilbert was to you. We knew him as an idiot and a great friend, you knew him as a brother when you were younger but at the moment, he's just a stranger to you, right? If you just read this, I'm afraid you won't understand his message. Tu comprends?"

Ludwig nodded. He understood what Francis was trying to get at though he didn't have the faintest idea as to how he was suppose to reacquaint himself with a dead person. But then he noticed the street ahead. It looked vaguely familiar.

" _Lui, there are some things in life you have to do as a man…"_

Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

Walking down the street, he told the two, "I'll find you tomorrow then, there's something I have to do here first," and bid them farewell before venturing onward.

\--

As he went further down, old memories of places began resurfacing. After wandering around aimlessly for awhile, his breath hitched when he stumbled across an old playground with more children climbing over it than he'd ever seen before.

" _Hey Lui, do you want to go on the swings? Here, I'll push you. I bet if you swing high enough, you'll be able to see the west!"_

" _Mattie, his parents never came home and the lady next door told him they got arrested so she brought him out here to play. Then, when I found him crying, I tried to help him out but we can't find that lady anymore and he doesn't know how to get home."_

" _Hmm? The park? You all want to go to the park? Makes sense, you're all probably sick of being crammed up in this dinky little place. I suppose I can figure something out, just give me a day to think of something, okay?"_

Suddenly, his feet began moving on their own as he turned the corner and wandered from one street to the next. Finally, he reached a cluster of buildings and stared blankly at them, mentally trying to recall which was the one he used to call home.

" _Alright Lui, if you ever get lost, you know how to get home, right? The way Mutti taught me was to remember the gigantic yellow painting on the sixth floor and the super colourful curtains on the eighth floor, can you see them? That's our building."_

He glanced from building to building before spotting the bright curtains hanging on the eighth floor, and though the yellow painting was no longer there on the sixth, he had no doubt which building used to be his. Making his way inside, he was surprised to see that the lobby was as he remembered it.

The receptionist paid him little attention as he walked around and studied the place. The place was dimly lit even with the sun shining outside, the rickety fan by the corner of the room was still going and the rusty mailboxes continued to line up along the hall towards the staircase. The building never had an elevator installed even after all this time, so he took the stairs up as he'd always done when he was younger. He paused and blinked. No, that wasn't true…

" _You tired, Lui? Here, hop on. Don't worry about it, it's only a couple flights! I can take it! I'm awesome, remember?"_

Somehow, going up seemed a lot further, and a lot more tiring when he was younger, but now, he climbed his way up without losing his breath even once. It wasn't so bad. They'd always seemed so endless when he was a child…

Making his way down the hall, it felt strange. He didn't know what to expect as he rounded the corner and stood in front of the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he wondered if there was anyone living there now. The last he remembered, the building had been virtually abandoned save for their little group and the Pole and the Lithuanian who'd been relocated for a reason he never understood. Turning the knob, his heart skipped a beat to find it unlocked but upon further inspection, he found that the door frame had been cracked and broken, almost as though someone had kicked the door open to force their way inside.

Hesitantly, he slowly pushed the door open.

And then there he was: home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During Soviet occupation, many Poles were relocated to East Germany, like, buildings at a time. Many East Germans lost their homes and jobs because of this, not that there's much mention of this in the fic.


	10. Chapter 10

_April, 1991_

" _ **Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to commemorate the life and death of Gilbert Beilschmidt…"**_

_\--_

_January, 1975_

_He was idly writing out his letters when he glanced out the window only to see police cars and jeeps parked outside the building. Frowning he got up to take a closer look only to realize that the cars were all empty. Alarmed, he snatched the letter to Francis off his desk and his lighter to burn it. Then he ran out to towards the entrance of the apartment and he could hear the soldiers approaching._

_Swearing in his head, he wondered how they'd managed to catch him so off guard. But there was no time to badger himself over such trivial things as he ran back into his room and reached into the birdcage and grabbed the bird and tore it out of its cage. The pigeon, shocked by the sudden grab, immediately began cooing and struggling within his grasp, trying to wriggle itself free._

_Suddenly, without a single knock, he could hear his door being kicked down and snapped the bird's neck with his bare hand._

_\--_

_November, 1990_

Stepping into the apartment, he looked around to see a familiar set of furniture. Nothing had changed since he was last there as a child and suddenly, it felt as though he'd never actually left. Looking around, it was obvious that someone had been in there, turning the place upside down. Drawers had been left opened, their contents strewn about, and the furniture broken. But despite the chaotic setting, he could still remember things as they'd been originally.

He walked into the kitchen where memos and grocery lists hung off magnets. He was surprised to see his old memos still there, written in his childish scribbles.

" _If it's raining, please remember to bring your umbrella!"_

The man had always left for work before they even woke up and so, unable to remind the other, he'd settled for writing a memo for him instead.

Turning away from the fridge, he looked to the living room which only had a couch. That'd been where they used to play all day and night. It was where they laughed, cried, argued, fought…

" _Al took my crayons again!"_

" _Way to tattle!"_

" _A-Alf, you should give them back! I'll share mine with you!"_

" _No way! I don't want to share! I want my own! And you don't have a red one!"_

" _You had your own!"_

" _No I didn't! Liar!"_

" _Stop fighting, you two!"_

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down kiddies! Here, I'll show you something awesome about crayons, and this only works with crayons. Look, if you snap them in half, you get_ _ **two**_ _crayons! Now all of you can have your own, okay?"_

" _Awesome!"_

" _Wait, Al, you can't just keep snapping them!"_

" _But Mattie needs one too!"_

A smile reached his lips as his memories resurfaced.

\--

" _ **To many of us, Gilbert was an invaluable brother, friend, confidant and even saviour. When he was with us, he joked and often times, made an idiot of himself for our sake. And even when he wasn't around, in his own way, he managed to reach us all and gave to us the same comfort and laughter he always had."**_

_**\--** _

_Dropping the dead bird onto the ground next to him, he watched as soldiers ran into his room. And the next thing he knew, he was sent flying to the floor. Rubbing his sore cheek, he looked up with a glare only to see a familiar smiling face. "Hello Gilbert."_

_\--_

Stepping into his room, he rubbed the back of his neck. Before the other kids came along, that room had been his and his alone. Though, he found it strange that he had no recollection of ever having it to himself even after all the other kids left for the west. He could remember having to sleep next to Feliciano who slept in between him and Lovino. Both of the brothers couldn't stand to sleep alone and the younger had grown attached to sleeping to the blond. The three of them normally took the lower bunk since Alfred had insisted on sleeping on the top.

Looking up, he could still feel the sympathy that he felt for Matthew for having to sleep in between the two lousiest sleepers possible. Alfred loved to pull and kick at things in his sleep while Peter rolled all over the place; if it wasn't for the railing, the boy probably would've hurt himself several times with his antics. He couldn't help but wonder how Matthew ever managed to get any sleep at all.

\--

"… _ **And now, I would like to invite his brother, Ludwig, up here to share a few words with us."**_

_**\--** _

_He shook his head in disbelief, a groan escaping his lips. "You can't be serious…"_

_From the side, one of the soldiers picked the bird up. "It's dead, sir."_

_The Russian man's eyes opened threateningly though his smile never faded. "Well, that doesn't help us at all, now, does it? I guess the only way we'll be able to find out now is through you, Gilbert. I'm a little disappointed that your struggling has to come to such an abrupt end. You know just how much I enjoyed watching it."_

" _Hmm? Who said the show was over," he managed to ask before raising his arms to shield himself against one of the soldier's punches. A moment later, they were both swearing as he cradled his broken watch and wrist and the officer his bloodied fist._

_\--_

Studying his room, he suddenly remembered why he had no memories of spending his nights alone.

" _What's the matter, Lui? Can't sleep? I guess you're used to having Feli around, hm? Not to worry! Here, you can hop in with me, I'll try not to wake you when I get up in the morning, okay?"_

A wave of nostalgia hit him and his feet began moving on their own, carrying him to the place he least wanted to be.

It would be the place where he'd find out whether he was right or wrong in his anger.

It would be the one place where he'd learn the truth behind those months of anticipation and disappointment.

It would be the place where he'd find everything out.

\--

" _ **Thank you…I wish I had more to say but most of what I know about Bruder, I learnt second hand. I never knew him as a child, I never knew him as a friend…but I did know him as my Bruder. Ever since our parents left us, he'd raised and taken care of not only me, but five other children. I remember how he always brought weird things home with him, if it wasn't a stuffed panda, it was a toy car. Maybe it's because of his patience or the fact that he was always out, working to provide for us that I never realized that he was still just a child himself…"**_

_**\--** _

_Wincing, he tried to curl up into a ball and rolled onto his side when another kick was delivered to his stomach. Ivan motioned for the other officers to stand down for a moment as he leaned his, a hand cupping his ear. "Sorry, I didn't hear that, what were you trying to ask?"_

_Taking in a shaky breath, he looked up. "How'd you find out?"_

_The Russian clapped his hands happily. "I was hoping you'd ask that. Bring her in."_

_\--_

He stepped into the room and looked at how everything was in disarray. There were dark stains all over and yellowed paper strewn about. The first thing he looked at was the wall where all their letters and notes were pinned up. Though some hof them ad been torn down, he could still see many of his old letters there.

_Dear East,_

_Canada and America came over to play today. It was raining out but we got permission to go outside. America accidentally pushed Canada into a puddle and he began crying even though he's the one who did the pushing. Afterwards, Austria came out with tortes for everyone and that one piece of hair curled weirdly when we all complimented him. I hope you remembered your umbrella when you left for work in the morning._

_Love,  
West_

_\--_

" _ **To me, Bruder has only ever made three promises. And though I thought that he'd broken all of them, I regret ever having doubted him since I realize now that he's kept each and every single one of them."**_

_\--_

_Red eyes widened when he heard a woman's yelling enter the room. Craning his neck to look as best as he could, he could hear himself mutter in disbelief, "No, no-no-no-no-no, how did this happen? Verdammt…Lars is going to kill me in the afterlife…"_

_\--_

The drawers on the desk had been taken out and their content ripped and thrown around the room. And underneath the desk was a small pile of bones. Blinking, he crawled under and retrieved it.

It was a bird's. The same bird that had always delivered everyone's messages to Gilbert. It was the same bird that'd allowed the two of  _them_ to communicate. It was the bird that'd never failed them before and yet, had been reduced to nothing but a pile of broken bones in his hands.

Getting up, he placed the bones gently on the windowsill and continued his survey. He cleared the top layer of unrecognizable items off the desk and blinked at one of the pieces of paper that was addressed to him.

_Dear West,_

_Happy birthday! I'm sorry, I know I've been taking a long time to get back to you, but I've been busy lately. Everything's been really hectic over here. But I'd never forget about your birthday, especially with my awesome memory! I can't believe it's been over 4 years since I last saw you, you must've grown up tons since then! Who knows? Maybe we'll get to see each other very soon…_

The letter stopped abruptly, with the tail of the last 'n' trailing off the page.

\--

" _ **His first promise was to wish me a happy birthday every year without fail. And up until the year he died, he kept that promise."**_

_**\--** _

_The woman was struggling fruitlessly against the soldier's grip. "Let go of me!" She froze when she saw him. "Oh my god…"_

" _Hello to you too," he managed to croak out with a weak smile._

" _Well I see we're all acquainted already, so there's no need for introductions, да?"_

_\--_

Suddenly, he could feel himself shrinking, reverting back to the Ludwig who'd lived there with his older brother twenty years ago. Rereading the incomplete letter, he tightened his grip on the piece of paper, crumbling the edges with his fingers. Looking around, he could see how it all used to be when he lived there, all once upon a time.

" _Hey Lui, are you and the kiddies alright? It's getting cold. Here, take my blankets…aw, don't look at me like that. Fine, fine, let's do it this way, we'll bring all the blankets to the living room and have a big sleepover, alright?"_

" _Lui, I've got a present for you! Check it out, I got Lars to get it for me from the black market!"_

" _You brought another weird thing home again, didn't you, Bruder?"_

" _What do you mean 'another weird thing'? Those pandas were essential! …for something! But that's not what I got. Look, it's a remote-control car, isn't it cool? Here, give it a spin around the place!"_

He could remember how excited he'd been, standing there in hand-me-downs that were a little too big for him, playing with the illegally bought toy. He could remember the happy grin his brother had on his face when he presented the gift to him.

His breath hitched as he muttered the name he'd tried so hard to forget, "Bruder…"

\--

" _ **His second promise was that one day, we'd be on the same side of the wall together. And with the fall of the Berlin Wall, after all these years, we've finally been reunited."**_

_**\--** _

_The girl opened her mouth. "I just…"_

_He shook his head._

_He didn't want to hear why she did it. He already had a good notion as to why and he didn't want to have his suspicions confirmed. Ivan continued smiling. "Thanks to this girl, our little game of chase has ended. And it looks like I won, doesn't it, Gilbert? She's told us everything. And now we have no further use for her." He motioned for the soldiers to leave. "Take her away."_

_Green eyes widened. "What? You said you'd let broer go!"_

_The Russian merely tilted his head curiously. "Broer?"_

_\--_

"Bruder, I'm sorry." He could feel all the anger he'd felt as a child melt away as he dried his tears with his sleeve. Still stuck in his reverie, he balled his fists up as he tried to hold his sobs back. Even now, he could feel the other's presence in the room.

" _What's up Lui? Did something happen? Come on now, there's no need to cry, just tell your Bruder what happened and he'll make it better! Aw, cheer up, it couldn't have been that bad! Did you break something? I'm sure it'll be fixable! Did you hurt yourself? I'm sure it'll heal! Did you have a nightmare? I'm sure it'll go away! As long as I'm here, you've got nothing to worry about!"_

Expecting to hear the comforting words of his brother yet knowing how impossible it was, he merely stood there with his choked sobs. "Bruder…"

\--

" _ **His third promise was to always watch over me…and even now, I know he's nearby, keeping an eye on all of us because Bruder always keep his word…"**_

_**\--** _

_One of the soldiers leaned in and whispered something into the man's ear. "Oh yes, I remember now…take her away."_

_The blonde continued to struggle against her captors. "Where's broer? Let me see him! You told me he was still alive!"_

" _Hmm? Did I? Then maybe you'll see him in jail then. But I doubt it." The Russian let out a dark chuckle._

" _I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered to himself before pushing himself up with his good arm and throwing himself into the girl's captors._

_Shots rang out._

_Surprised at his sudden action, the captors loosened their grip enough for her to break free. And despite the burning in his lungs from where a few bullets had pierced, he managed to rasp to the girl, " **run**!"_

_Wide eyed, Bella did as she was told and disappeared down the hall as he was held down by the men he'd knocked over. Ivan immediately sent out more orders, "Follow her. Find her and arrest her. She should know better than to run away from authoritative figures like ourselves." The man then turned to him, and though he could only make out a faint outline of the Russian, his sight blurring from bloodloss, he could practically feel the cold smile on the other's lips. "That was a very bad idea, Gilbert. Now, what shall we do with you?"_

_\--_

He wasn't sure how much time had passed before he finally calmed himself down. He moved and sat on the bed, legs no longer dangling as they used to. Regaining his composure and returning to his present state of mind, he took a deep breath and looked around to see if he'd missed anything. Spotting the undisturbed wardrobe in the corner of the room which was once their grandmother's; he walked over and opened it and flipped open the secret opening in the door.

" _Lui, if you ever need money or anything, I keep all my important stuff in here, okay? It's a secret compartment, pretty awesome, isn't it?"_

Inside the door, his eyes widened as a familiar grin came into view.

\--

_**"Someone once told me that being an older sibling meant making sacrifices. And Bruder's made so many for me...for us. I don't know what propelled him to do it, but it's thanks to him and the life he gave up that so many of us are able to be here now with our families and friends. I owe everything I have now to Bruder."** _

**\--**

" _I could kill you right here, right now and no one would ever find your rotting corpse…or I could take you into custody and have you experience what your little friend went through before he died. Would you like that, Gilbert? Would you like to know what happened to that girl's brother?"_

_He remained silent, his breathing becoming laboured._

" _I'll take your silence as a yes then." He motioned for the officers around him to seize him. "Let's get him to the car and stop his bleeding. We still need him alive. For now."_

_\--_

In front of him were pictures, all taped up. In the center was a group shot of them all when they were still living there. And around that were several different ones of the boys and of Gilbert when he was younger…there was Alfred's confident grin, Matthew's timid smile, Lovino's pouty frown, Peter's happy grin, Feliciano's sleepy look and his blank stare. To the side, there was Elizabeta and Gilbert climbing up their tree fort, both looking very much like boys. And at the top, there was a single photo of him and his brother, both grinning at the camera.

And he couldn't help but smile at the sight of that.

Finally, he'd reacquainted himself with the Bruder he'd lost so long ago…taking the letter out, he unrolled the piece of paper, the action still so familiar to his fingers.

\--

" _ **There are many things I wish I'd said to Bruder when I still had the chance to. I wish I'd thanked him for everything he'd done for me. I wish I'd apologized for ever being mad at him, and for doubting him. I wish I'd told him how much he meant to me and that he was, as he would've put it, the awesome-est Bruder in the world."**_

_**\--** _

_As the soldiers pulled him away by the back of his shirt, he could only stare at the desk where he'd been sitting and writing but a short while ago. He could hear the Russian giving orders to search the apartment and still, all he could think of was that letter on the desk and the boy who was supposed to be receiving it. He let his head hang limply as he was taken away. "Sorry, West…"_

_\--_

Once he finished reading, he went around and carefully gathered up the pictures and the incomplete letter. And before leaving, he quickly made another round to ensure that he wasn't forgetting anything important, it was simply another habit he'd picked up from his brother. Then finally standing at the door, he took a final look back at the place he used to live in. It took a moment to realize that he was standing where his brother used to when he left for work in the morning.

" _Well I'm off Lui, keep an eye on the kiddies, alright? I'll be back before you know it!"_

It felt strange being the one to leave the apartment.

He couldn't help but take another glance at the place, and he could've sworn that for a moment, his brother was standing there, grinning and waving goodbye at him.

Smiling nostalgically, he closed the door behind him as he left.

\--

" _ **I'm proud-no, honoured to have had him for a Bruder. So…thank you for taking care of me for all those years and for giving me the life I have now. And please continue watching over me from wherever you are…may you rest in peace…Bruder."**_

_**\--** _

_Dear West,_

_If you're getting this letter then I suppose I didn't get past the second step after I hit one of those flaws. But that's okay since, as I've told you, flaws happen and some are just more severe than others. I'm sorry if I hurt you though…you were probably upset when I didn't write you back. Hungary and them probably tried to reason with you and it probably didn't work._

_But that's fine._

_It's fine if you're mad at me. It's fine if you don't understand. I mean, you're still young. You've still got a whole lifetime ahead of you to understand so there's no need to rush. I'd rather you get angry at me and move on with your life than to have you lingering around in the past, all caught up in anxiety and regrets and stuff. By the way, I asked them not to tell you about any of this until they were sure I'm not around anymore so don't blame them, okay?_

_I don't know how old you are now but I'm sure you've grown up to be an awesome kid. And whether you forgive me or not, know that your Bruder's proud of you and loves you very much. So take care of yourself and make sure you grow up into an awesome guy, alright?_

_Love,  
East_


	11. Epilogue

_January, 1992_

"Ludwig, are you sure you want to be here on your birthday? I'm sure he'd understand if you didn't want to..."

He shook his head. "This is the perfect place to spend part of the day. It's thanks to him that I'm able to celebrate my birthday like this, and besides, I'd like to spend this birthday with Bruder close by."

They'd gathered around the grave excitedly, each with a balloon in their hand and a note tied to the balloon. Feliciano smiled as he turned to him. "Ve, Ludwig, I bet Gilbert would've loved this!"

Alfred nodded enthusiastically and pumped his fist into the air. "Yeah, it's super awesome!"

"Alfred! Really lad, how many times have I told you to stop using that word?"

Francis chuckled and wrapped an arm around the Englishman, noting casually, "Mon ami, I do recall you commenting on my ability to rear children a few years ago…yet here we are, ton Alfred et mon Mathieu…" He began idly examining his fingernails. "I think it's clear who won that fight, rosbif."

"You bloody frog, I'll show you a thing or two about winning!"

"D-don't you guys think fighting in a cemetery's a little disrespectful?"

The Frenchman shot his son a smile. "We're not fighting, mon cher. I would never fight in front of dear Gilbert's grave though he's probably used to it by now. Actually, I think he'd be quite entertained."

Antonio laughed and nodded in agreement. "I bet he's having a lot of fun by himself like he always does right now!"

"We came here for a reason, so Arthur, Francis, stop arguing, you idiots!"

Elizabeta rolled up her sleeves threateningly. "That's right, there'll be a new grave here if you don't stop. We're in a cemetery, there are other people here paying their respects!"

Ludwig nodded in agreement, noticing a familiar looking woman kneeling in front of a grave nearby. Deciding to walk over to apologize to her for their rowdiness, he couldn't help but notice the name engraved onto the gravestone. The woman had looked up. "Hallo…"

_Lars…_

It was the same name as the man his Bruder used to work with. Walking beside her, he spoke softly, "I'm sorry if we're disturbing you. Maybe it was a bad idea bringing them here…"

The blonde shook her head. "No, it's alright. It makes the atmosphere around here a little less glummy."

There was a pause. "I hope you don't mind me asking but did your…"

"Broer," she filled in for him. "Lars was my older brother."

"Did he happen to work in a small restaurant in the east?"

Green eyes widened as she turned to him. "Ja, he did. Did you know broer?"

Ludwig rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. "Not directly…but my Bruder did. They worked together, I believe. I should probably pay my respects to him for helping Bruder out."

The woman wrung her hands nervously. "Was your broer by any chance, Gilbert?"

It was his turn to stare at her in surprise. "Ja, that's Bruder." Suddenly, he remembered Francis telling him about the girl whose brother was caught and who went to his brother for help. "…would you like to join us…?"

"Bella." she introduced before shaking her head. "And sorry, I don't think I should."

"Ludwig," he returned, politely shaking the woman's hand.

"West, right?"

He raised a brow. "I take it you met Bruder, then?"

She dipped her head, suddenly finding her shoes fascinating. "J-ja, I've met him…I was also there when he got caught by those soldiers…"

Blue eyes widened, he wanted to ask more but the expression on the blonde's face was clearly begging him not to. "So you were there…"

Suddenly, Lovino's voice called out to him, "Hey, stupid jerk! Get back over here!"

Bella pursed her lips and spoke hastily, "You should probably get back to your friends."

He was about to when a thought struck him. He wondered if the woman was there all alone, a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him that she probably was and that he should help her out somehow. After all, her brother had been there to keep  _his_  brother company so the least he could do was return the favour. "I know you said no, but why don't you join us for lunch? It's fine, you don't have to tell us what happened, we won't pry. I promise."

The blonde shook her head again. "Your broer saved me that day-"

"So he saved you too. That's good enough of a reason, right? In that group over there, a lot of us were saved by Bruder as well, so you might as well join us. I'm sure Bruder would've insisted you come so that we could see the full extent of his...awesome-ness."

Finally, she gave in, and with a faint smile, nodded.

\--

Making their way back, she introduced herself to the other characters there. Francis immediately shot her a charming smile as he greeted her, "Bonjour. I'm glad you decided to join us, ma chère."

The blond was immediately yelled at by the Englishman, "Stop flirting! The poor girl just got here, you wine bastard!"

"Mathieu! Look at how this brute is treating your poor papa!"

"What are you talking about? You saw him, right, Alfred? He was being indecent!"

The Roderich stepped in, hands on his hips as he scolded them, "You idiots! Stop fighting immediately!"

Elizabeta shook her head as she made her way towards the other girl. "Ignore them. We really  _are_  glad you joined us though."

Bella merely sighed with mock-exasperation, eyes lighting up a bit. "It's only because Gilbert would've insisted. And broer probably wouldn't have been very happy with me if I'd said no. It's my last day in this country anyways, so I might as well."

Peter looked over. "Where will you be going?"

"W'll you b'needin' 'ny help?"

She shrugged. "I don't know yet. I don't have a job or anything yet so I guess I'm just going to wing it."

"If you're interested," Antonio mentioned offhandedly, "I happen to be in need of another helper with my tomatoes in Spain, and I'm sure Lovi would be more than happy to have such a pretty lady around, it might actually motivate him to work."

"Shut up! I do plenty of work, you stupid jerk!"

The blonde grinned, looking a little more lively now. "That's quite an offer and I think I'd be quite happy myself, working with such a cute boy like him, but I'll have to think about it for a bit."

Lovino's face reddened as he blurted out, "¡B-besamé!"

They watched as the woman's confused expression turned into laughter. "Would a kiss on the cheek do?" Ludwig figured she probably hadn't laughed or joked around in a long time since she immediately offered an embarrassed grin afterwards.

The older twin began twiddling with his sleeves. "I…yeah…damn it…!"

"Lovino? What's with you? I've never seen you like this before! You're acting all shy and stuff, you look like a tomato and that's probably the first time I've ever heard you use the Spanish I taught you," the Spaniard let out, a little annoyed, as the rest of the group began laughing.

Feliciano looked over at him with a smile. "Hey, Ludwig?"

"Ja?"

"Are you having a happy birthday?"

He smiled and nodded. "Ja, I am. Danke."

\--

Later, Alfred clapped his hands together and got everyone's attention. "Okay, let's do this! Everybody's here and ready, right? Let go on the count of three! One, two, three!"

Ludwig watched as the balloons flew upwards into the clear blue sky with their messages attached. After they became nothing more than dots in the sky, he turned back to the group and began leading them away. "I believe it's time for lunch. Come on, let's go…"

\--

_Dear East,_

_I hope you're being awesome up there as well._

_Thank you for everything._

_Love,  
West_


End file.
